Second Chances
by KIMIKO-K
Summary: Instead of dying under the hands of Sasuke, he winds up in a completely different world, with only a lady by the name of Sakura as companion? How would the usually cool, calm and collected Itachi deal with this unexpected twist of event? AU
1. Chapter 1

**This story is inspired by a drawing of Itachi hanging beside my bed.**

* * *

**Prologue – A Simple Wish**

"Haa… Haah… Argh… Your eyes belong to me now. I'll take them slowly… I want to savour this." Itachi gasped out between labored breaths. Sasuke flinched at his venomous threat. Without warning, Itachi's heartbeat pounded against his chest, and dark streams of liquid came gashing out of his mouth. Between the pain and the rapid coughing fit that had assaulted him, his knee gave out as he gripped his chest in agony. It was during that instant that Sasuke saw an opening as Susanoo, the gigantic humanoid surrounding Itachi, momentarily weakened. With the stealth and accuracy only a skilled ninja has, he flung a tagged kunai towards Itachi.

The resounding explosion gave Sasuke some comfort, but only briefly, as the cleared out smoke revealed an unscathed Itachi. Sasuke's act of impulse only served to fuel Itachi's anger, and he began making gradual steps towards him.

"DAMN YOU!" Struggling to remain unaffected, he unleashed a scroll with explosive seals tags which he swiftly attached to his kunai, aimed at his Brother. _With Susanoo, any in-coming attacks are futile. Haven't you realise that, Sasuke?_ Itachi pondered pensively.

"My eyes…"

With each nearing steps, Sasuke's helplessness and fear only increased, threatening to swallow him inside out. His last attack with his sword was easily repelled by Susanoo's Yata Mirror, and the force of repulsion caused him to be backed up against a wall with a large Uchiha symbol craving. The irony of the situation was not lost on him – that the very symbol of his pride severed him of his escape route, leading him closer than ever to his impending death. Itachi's blood stained arm reached out, ready to claim those every eyes that Sasuke were so dependent on. He could only respond with shaking legs.

"… S…. S... … …. .. … …. T..."

_What the…? What did Itachi just said? _Sasuke's thought was interrupted as his Brother's fingers were mere inches from his forehead. It came nearer, and nearer, and…. _Poke_. Upon contact with his forehead, Itachi's fingers slackened and went tracing down the left profile of his face, leaving behind a trail of blood, reminiscent of tear tracks. Itachi's body sang forward, diving head first onto the wall beside Sasuke, before sinking onto his knees and collapsing on the broken granite floor, battle won but match lost.

* * *

**Chapter 1 – All Alone**

Cutting off the thread, Haruno Sakura successfully sealed the gaping wound of her latest and last of her morning shift's casualty. She looked up and was met with approving nods and eye contacts from her seniors of Konoha Hospital, where she worked as a part-time assistant medic after school and during the weekends. Swiping the sweat off her now glistening forehead, she proceeded to thank everyone for their help (her mother always empathized mannerism and maintaining good relationship with her co-workers, albeit being just a part-timer) while swiftly peeling off her doctor's coat. A quick glance at her watch gave her enough reason to hasten up - it was already four past ten! She was supposed to be off work an hour ago, lazing around at her apartment and sipping tea while listening to one of her favorite idol's songs... Shaking her head out of her fantasy-about-to-turn-into-reality, she bid her last farewell to her Supervisor, Ms Shizune (a real charmer - she still hasn't thank her for those amazing homemade strawberry shortcakes yet, and gently reminded herself to return the favor soon) and excused herself from the building.

Ten minutes has passed before she brisk past her apartment's guard house - the perks of working near your house, not before waving at the "jolly guardians" who she loved so much.  
"Konichiwa, Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san! You two are working hard as ever!"

"Konichiwa, Sakura-chan! Iya, iya, that's our job. But aren't you late today! Hopefully there weren't any fatal casualties...?" Kotetsu Hagane replied with a concerned look.

"Ah, shinpai shinaide, the staffs are working really hard and they are all doing fine now," Sakura responded with a certain pride for her seniors, and herself, knowing she did her best be it bandaging, paper work or even the hardest task- closing of huge wounds. The last took some time to get used to, and between the exposed bones, overflowing blood and limited time, the novelty of such a gruesome scene was lost on her.

"Jaa, I'm going up to rest for a while. Keep up the good job, futari tomo!"

"Hai, hai, we will look out for any suspicious guy going after you!" Izumo offered with humour.

* * *

"Tataima!" Sakura exclaimed cheerfully, her voice echoing slightly throughout the empty apartment on the tenth floor. She frowned slightly, before remembering that there was not supposed to be anyone at home. _How could there be when they were all dead?_ Kicking off her white heels, she surveyed her living room. The furniture was kept sparse to reduce the housekeeping, making the space very minimalist. The walls were freshly painted pristine white, thanks to Naruto's latest obsession of messing with paint. That best friend of hers lived by the motto "Live life to the fullest," though sometimes she wished he would slow down. She was only juggling one part-time job and was barely managing! So, when Naruto offered to paint her house, Sakura practically dove at the chance. Who doesn't like a free paint job?

"Urgh, I am sticky and I hate it," Sakura said out loud with a disgusted shudder as she made her way to her bathroom. She was never one to take her time over trivialities like showering, and was done before her green tea was soaked up by the boiling water.

Carrying her green tea into her cosy cocoon - her room, she sat and leaned back against her black armchair, sipping her aromatic drink while staring into the eyes of her beloved idol – Kanae Itachi.

"Tataima, Itachi-san," Sakura whispered to the full body poster of the lead singer, secured neatly within a custom-made rosewood frame and hanging proudly against the celadon wall, beside her single bed. Despite her independent facade, she was in fact garnering most of her confidence from Itachi. Since the day she had the poster, it has quickly became a habit for her to hold idle conversations with him, from ranting about her overzealous physical education teacher, panicking over what to wear on Picture Day (while hoping to capture her crush's attention with the strategically chosen outfit) to sharing her deepest sorrows that not even Naruto knew about. It has offered her some form of comfort and delusion of an occupied flat other than herself.

The chores of the day finally took its toll on her as she start to feel her eyelids getting heavy. All the overtime she did to cover for her school fees and daily expenditure were definitely a killer to her health. She carefully sat the clay cup on her desk and made a bee dive for her bed. She smiled at him 'lying' next to her (above her), before giving in to her exhaustion. Her last thoughts were of his mesmerizing eyes and those locks hanging in front of his onyx orbs, imagining them to be swaying with the wind, of her sweeping it off his forehead and kissing it...

* * *

_Is it over?_

Sasuke dared a glance over at Itachi's still life. Yes, Itachi's dead. _I've finally beaten you, nii-san... Or did you not let me win on purpose?  
_  
Before Sasuke could wonder any further, he felt darkness consuming him from within. He promptly fell over and landed adjacent to Itachi.

_It is over._

Before Sasuke lost his consciousness, he could not help but wonder, _why does it have to be me? Why can't nii-san be… Like before? _It was at this very instant that Itachi's body shimmered slightly, followed by a sudden jerk that propelled his soul out of his vessel, towards a new perspective.

* * *

When Sakura was deep in slumber, nothing could pull her away from her state of unconsciousness. Nothing. Hell, she even slept through an earthquake (albeit a small one)! That was what she thought.

Amidst the deafening silence and stillness, the poster hanging beside Sakura's bed began emitting rays of ghastly white, filling up the entire room with its heavenly luminance. Itachi's limp and bruised body went tumbling out of the life size poster, landing ceremoniously on top of Sakura.

"Oooof..." _What the... What's this heavy thing on top of me?_

"It can't be you right, Itachi...? I'm sure I secured you on my wall..." Sakura mumbled beneath the baby pink blanket. She shifted her face, and felt something soft tickling her cheek. Sakura's eye immediately bolted open. If Sakura was in a deep slumber before, she was definitely sober now.

Who wouldn't with Itachi in the same room as you, much less lying on top of you? Not that she knew that, not yet. Sakura tried to sit up, but the dead load was too much to handle for her stiff muscles from those hours of work and heavy sleep. Impossible, she must still be dreaming. Wait what if this was... A pervert thief?! That notion jolted all her drowsy muscles awake and with one shove, she managed to get away from being sandwiched between the unidentified person and her bed, only to roll and landed on the timber floor with a dull thump.

"Itai... Eh... what?! Is this really...!" From her new vantage point beside the bed, she assessed the scene with part disbelief and undisguised admiration. Sakura blinked. There laid the most beautiful man she has ever laid eyes on in her entire existence.

Cladded simply in a loose-fit, V-neck lavender tee-shirt with a mesh top underneath and slim-fit lavender cotton pants, Sakura could not believe that such unflattering apparels could complement to such extent with his alabaster skin and appeal so much to her. This was the same man who she squealed and yelled over and swooned at since five (and probably the only guy she has ever known who could pull off a head to toe assemble of pure purple raiment) - her idol Kanae Itachi. _It can't be. _

The next bugging issue was, what the heck was he doing in her room? Why wasn't he moving at all? She began tapping lightly on his shoulder.

"Ano... Itachi? Are you awake? Ita... Shinjirarenai, what happened to you?" Now that the novelty of the situation has worn off, she began to notice another more disturbing observation - the multiple bruises and scratches _and_ the severe burn on his entire right arm. Her medic instincts took control; after hastily securing the load of pink hair with the hairband on her bedside table, Sakura knelt down and swiftly assessed his various injuries. _Second degree burns, a deep wound across his left thigh and those streaks of dried blood on his cheeks… I've got to take him to the hospital._ Without deliberating further, she probed him up and carried him by his shoulders out of her room.

Kicking open the front door, Sakura managed to get both of them out of her house with little effort (with much thanks to Itachi's slender build) before closing it back with a muted thump.

"Hang on there, Itachi-san! I am bringing you to the hospital now…" Sakura whispered encouragingly while shuffling slightly on the way to the lift at the end of the deserted corridor. It was during times like this that she was glad that she has MIA neighbours – who knew what sort of gossip could escalate should she be caught hurling a man out of her flat by a buttinsky? _I must be in luck, eh?_ Sakura grinned inwardly at that thought as she pressed the lift button with her knuckles.

….

"You've got to be kidding right?" Cried an exasperated Sakura. Between her irrational brewing excitement and anxiety to bring Itachi medical aid, she completely missed the "Under repair" signage pasted on the lift's door. There was even a cute image of a chibi construction guy beside the texts, bowing in mocking repentance at her.

"I must be in luck, _eh_?" Sakura forced out with a defeated sigh.

* * *

_So bright... Is this... The afterlife?_

"Ten days… Worry… Sta…"

_Are those people's voices? _I tried to move my arm, but it would not respond. _Why does my body feel so heavy… And weak? _I tried shifting my neck, and in doing so it sent an intensifying pain throughout my now aching body.

"Mfmm..."

"Itachi…? Itachi-san, is that you? Shishou, quick come over here! He's awake!" _The afterlife is a lot noisier than I expected._

Through my hazy vision, I could make out two figures looming over me, and soon felt someone pulling at my top and dragging something cool over my chest. Next, light was shone into my eyes. Surprisingly, it did not hurt my vision but I did not appreciate being prodded and probed at, since I thought that afterlife is supposed to be peaceful and accommodating… Or was this my retribution?

"How is he?"

"Calm down, Sakura. He is fine. To be honest, I was shocked that he even regained consciousness, not after you bringing him in that wrecked condition. I cannot say I fully believed your explanation, in which I shall find out more in due time, Sakura."

"Hai, sumimasen, soushite, arigatou."

_Wrecked condition? What happened to me?_

"Also, for some reason his superior rectus and optic nerve were severely damaged. Thankfully for the latest technology that resourceful Jiraya managed to secure for us, I was able to restore them, along with some other muscles along his superior and inferior oblique. However, he would still need some aids to see clearly, since the damaged cannot be reversed." With that concluded, Tsunade, managing director and Sakura's master, left the room.

"Wher… Where am I?" I forced out between laboured breaths. My throat felt like it was on fire, and in dire need of water.

"The hospital. Here, have some water first." After I was probed up against the headboard of the bed, I was given a glass of water to sooth my dry throat. Gradually getting used to the brightness, my vision became more focused (as focus as the persisting blurriness allows) and I realised I was in a small room. The white walls were devoid of any decorations and emitted hints of fresh paint, while hanging next to the bed were a wall of cerulean cubicle curtains complementing the pale yellow ones pulled across the window to shelter against the brewing breeze.

"How are you feeling now?" I tilted my head and was met with a pair of big, sparkling jade orbs, fully focused on me. _She must have found me. I could not detect any chakra on her, it's unlikey she's a ninja._

However, what really caught my attention was the mass of pink hair resting just above her shoulders, looking so surreal and displaced yet it somehow suited the healthy complexion of this young woman, who has begun to reveal signs of worry at my lack of reaction.

"I am fine." Surreal or not, I knew nothing about her. Neither her village, nor her capabilities. I needed to know more, and began to eye her warily. To my surprise, she burst out laughing. Refraining from revealing anymore of my thoughts and emotions, I waited patiently for an explanation.

"Oh, don't worry Itachi-san; I am not some paparazzi- see, no cameras, notebooks or whatsoever! You can rest assure that no one will disturb you over here."

_What is she saying?_

"How do you know my name?"

"How could anyone _not_ know your name? At least, the whole of Konoha knows about you. But after your venture to other places like the Rain and Sand, you can practically say that everybody knows about you."

_So, I must be in Konoha now. _However, something felt amiss. I did not sense any ANBU Black Opsaround, and if the pink-head knew about me, then how could she remain so friendly in front of me? What about… _Sasuke_?

"After all, you are the heartthrob of all females, the legendary _Kanae _Itachi!"

Wait a second, did I hear _Kanae_? I did not recall anyone of my age group bearing similar name as me, much less a _Kanae_-san.

"On a serious note, how did you end up in my room though, Itachi-san? I had the biggest shock in my life- you were all beaten up and unconscious, I thought you were _dead_!"

"What happened to Sasuke? Did he come back?"

"I was all worried… What? Sasuke-kun? I could not contact him since he just left Konoha for his taijutsu training with Sensei, but don't worry, he will be back by next week."

"That's good." _He returned to the village, that's good._

"Ne, Itachi-san. Could you me excuse me for a second? Let me go fetch your dinner; you must be famished." I nodded my thanks and was left alone, at last. Although there were still plenty of ambiguities to be solved, I was heartened to hear that Sasuke came back and regained his status as a proud ninja of Konohagagure, where Naruto and his friends were. _Where we were from. _

Coming back to what she said, who could this Kanae Itachi be? Could he have casted a powerful genjutsu and deceived everyone that he was a Konoha ninja? It was plausible, but very unlikely since I would have detected any ignis fatuus, especially one of a massive scale. Flipping off the hospital blanket, I lifted my legs off the bed and walked towards the window and pushed aside the curtain. How long has it been since I last came back to Konoha, to check on Sasuke?

The first thing I noticed were the specks of lights scattered across the crepuscular landscape- my vision must be beyond hope now. In fact, I was astonished that I could still see after straining them so much during my battle with Sasuke. _I did not expect light to enter them once again. _

The next thing that I found disturbing was the perspective from the hospital. I was getting too good a view for a mere three storey high architecture. I observed a sea of vertical structures with irrational height emerging from the mass of low buildings that were reminiscent of those in Amegagure, but never present in Konoha. On the ground, there were multiple infinite tracks that seemed to stretch on beyond the darkness. Along the continuous paths I could make out a parade of rectangular figurines moving, undeviating from its designated path as though charging towards an impending war.

"What is going on?" My eyes began a frantic and futile attempt in searching for the Hokage's monument. What resided at its location was the same mountain, and if I recalled hard enough I could conjure up the five great Hokage's faces on the now vegetated mountain surface.

I took a reluctant step back and was instantly filled with an emotion so raw and so eerily familiar to the younger me – _helplessness_. This is Konoha, but no longer the Konoha that I knew of.

_What happened after I had passed out?_

* * *

"Itachi-san? Sorry I took so long! I didn't want you to have the hospital food so I went home to cook… Itachi-san…?" A sudden gust of wind from the window caught Sakura off-guard, causing her to drop the lunchbox, spilling its contents. She remained rooted to the ground, numbed against the scalding contents of her dinner on her feet. Itachi was _gone_. She began making sluggish steps towards the unmade bed. With her shaky hand, she picked up a piece of note lying on the bed in place of the owner.

"Oh no, this is bad… I've… I've got to find him!" Tucking the note carefully into her skirt's pocket, Sakura went after Itachi.

* * *

Scribbled in neat handwriting:

_Thank you, Sakura_.

* * *

**I've always wondered how Itachi would cope in the modern era, so here's how I envisioned it to be like. Comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated, 3Q minna-san!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you, dear readers for giving this story a chance. That was enough to motivate me to continue on. So where did Itachi go? Read on to find out!**

* * *

**Chapter2 – All Alone (With you)**

"Shit…" Cursing softly under his breath, Itachi came to a rest on one of the sturdier tree branches, panting slightly. He had only managed to travel for a mere five kilometres from the hospital before he started to experience dizziness and fatigue. After overstraining himself during his fight to the death with his brother and not moving for more than a week after that, it has proven to be quite a challenge even for Itachi.

After leaping down from the window of Konoha Hospital, Itachi immediately headed for the dense canopies in favour of the wide concrete pathway next to the avenue of trees a few meters in front of the hospital entrance. After all, old habits die hard; ninjas during his days were used to travel in forested environment. Even Itachi was unaware of the fact that he instinctively headed for the shadows, like all those times travelling with his partner Kisame and… years back during his ANBU days.

To the untrained eyes, Itachi's swift movement through the trees could be mistaken for a sudden swipe of the wind, with minimal rustling of the foliage and nearly undetectable tapping sound from propelling himself off the branches, possible with his slender build.

By sheer luck, he discovered that while the architecture and culture of the village had evolved tremendously, the general layout of Konoha remained true to his knowledge. By using Konoha Hospital as a reference point, he was able to navigate through the foreign yet familiar spaces with little difficulty. It helped that most of the streets, tree species and several shops were where he remembered them to be. He was certain that he even caught a glimpse of the Dango store, filled with fond memories of the fragrance of his favourite snack, which he used to frequent as a teenager in Konoha.

As the ratio of the landscape to the buildings has drastically tipped, Itachi was forced to utilise more of his chakra to cover the extra distance between each trees. With Konohagagure being urbanised, most of the existing trees were manually planted, and as opposed to the wild ones, were more delicate and less mature. He was quick to pick that up after nearly tripping on several thinner and brittle branches. By focusing and redirecting his chakra to his feet, he could acquire better stability and reduce the force of contact between his feet and the weaker branches.

"Is this… Is this really Konoha?" After finally stopping for a much needed break, Itachi became less focused on his physical conditions and was immediately distracted by the blinking lights that seemed to come from everywhere. They came in a diversity of colours – there were bursts of crimsons and neon greens that were silently commanding the civilians and moving metal carriages' movements. It amazed him that how people's actions could be manipulated by simple blinks of lights willingly. It almost felt like an evolution of his sharingan, almost.

_No one's wearing the lead headband anymore, but I do see many people holding onto a small device._ For some peculiar reasons, Itachi felt that his eyesight were better, but still bad enough that anything further than three metres remained hazy.

A group of civilians, presumably a family, were strolling causally along the leaf-obscured pathway, chattering away over something called a movie…? They were coming close enough for Itachi to make-out that mysterious glowing device.

"Sharingan!" As the trio of commas surfaced on his now blazing crimson iris, he could see what was on the screen of the device that the lady was clutching.

"April… 2110?" Itachi's eyes widened._ That's over hundred years from my time! _He was struggling to remain calm. For what purpose was he sent here for? Was it only just him? Shouldn't he be dead? In all his unforeseen panic, he neglected to notice that the family had stopped below where he was taking shelter, and a boy toddler was staring intently at him.

"Look, Mum! There's a crow on the tree with red eyes!" Puzzled, the mother glanced up at the now empty and slightly crooked tree branch. Chuckling, she shook her head, amused by her child's imagination.

"Don't be silly! It's dark, you must be seeing things!"

* * *

"Itachi-san… Itachi-san, where the hell _are you_?" For someone who had been unconscious for over a week, Kanae Itachi sure has got stamina. After running continuously for the past twenty minutes, there were still no sign of him. Sakura felt at her wit's ends. While Konoha was not exactly big, it was not exactly _small,_ either.

A sudden gust of wind brushed passed her entire body, causing her to shiver involuntarily. In her hastiness to search for the missing patient,_ her_ missing patient, she neglected to grab the trench coat in her locker. Other than the knowledge of all his songs' lyrics, upcoming concert dates and locations, she knew next to nothing about Kanae Itachi. It was with such perfect timing that Sasuke-kun had to be out of town now, if not she could have drop by his house for some clues…

"I think I know where to find him!"

* * *

After forcefully weaselling her way through the crowded streets of the central market (it was T.G.I.F. and all), she finally reached the peaceful Uchiha district, where the Kanae compound resided. This was where most of the traditional pitched-roof terraces and mansions were preserved, with many dated back centuries ago. One of the largest mansions a little down the district entrance belonged to the Kanae family.

There was a popular myth saying that this district was once the property of a dominant clan of Konoha, known as the Uchiha clan, hence the name 'Uchiha district'. However, on one faithful night, there was a ruthless carnage that brought about the swift downfall of the dignified and powerful clan. It even went as far to suggest that the annihilator was a reputable member of the clan. She wondered how much of that tell-tale was true.

Pausing to take a breather, Sakura scanned the scarcely populated street and one figure immediately stood out to her. Instinctively, she started towards the direction of the lone figure.

He was staring intently at the red and white fan symbol imprinted onto the noren hanging at the entrance of the Kanae compound. _I wonder what that symbol means._

"Ita-"The last syllable was lost in her mouth; the intangible grieve and remorseful expression written across his otherwise picture perfect face caused Sakura to choke on her words. She had never witness such raw vulnerability from anyone, and especially not from Kanae Itachi. From his eyes and the slight downturn of his lips, he seems to be weighed down by an unsurmountable amount of burden and sorrow, unbeknown to others. For a spilt moment, Sakura could not recognise her idol.

"Please, leave me alone…" He remained rooted to his spot, eyes never once leaving the fan symbol.

"I-Itachi-sa-"

"I am not who you think I am." Sure, the Kanae Itachi she knew was a naturally low-key person, but he was never this distant, and this _quiet_. Sakura was beginning to worry that it had something to do with his injuries.

"But, Itachi-san…" Sakura took a sharp intake of the biting crisp air, not quite ready for what she saw. A pair of baleful, gleaming crimson eyes gazed upon her dilated jade pupils, and once again, she shuddered involuntarily, as though slapped by a malicious blast of night wind.

* * *

Itachi detected fear creeping out behind those stubborn pair of jade orbs, which were still focused on his activated Sharingan. He was tired of living a life of deception- better to scare her off for good than to live as her fantasy idol, whoever this Kanae Itachi was.

"I am not who you think I am."

"Th-then, who are you?" He was taken aback by the queer look of curiosity behind her innocent eyes; in fact he felt baffled that she was still talking to him.

"My name is Itachi, Uchiha Itachi."

* * *

"You're not... Kidding, aren't you." Sakura was doing all she could to prevent herself from turning and running off from where she came, to somewhere _safe_. Those eyes that looked like they belonged elsewhere and they were definitely not Kanae's. This man screamed danger.

"Do you know where we are now?" He questioned her in an eerily calm voice.

"Ye-yes? This is the Uchiha distr-"Wait_, didn't he say he is called… _No it could not be! Sakura quickly dismissed her silly notion; it was just a sick coincidence that he happened to bear the same surname as this district. _Right?_

"This was where I used to live." He supplied without waiting for her to complete her sentence. _He must be from an affluent background._ He momentarily broke their eye-contact to glance at the Kanae compound – a two storey mansion that was partly enshrouded in the darkness of the night.

"Do you know the story behind the Uchiha district?"

"I-I guess so…? Uchiha is the name of one of Konoha's dominant clan decades ago but they were annihilated one night, presumably by someone of the clan…?" At the mention of the annihilation, Itachi returned his attention to Sakura, intrigued by her knowledge of this subject, of his family.

"Oh I heard they were ninjas? They had to handle shurikens and perform assassinations with a sharp blade across the neck of the enemies." Sakura went off animatedly, the tension of the movement temporarily forgotten.

"You mean like this?"

"Yes, like th-"Sakura's innocent jade eyes widened in surprise at the brief disappearance of Itachi's presence. It was immediately replaced by a suffocating sensation; her heart cringed in fear at the polished razor-sharp blade, now held at an uncomfortably close distance next to her throat. She could feel Itachi's warm breath against the back of her hair.

"Don't move." At this point, Itachi was leaning slightly against her, holding his kunai an inch towards her pale neck and they were literally just a breath away.

"Please don't hurt me…" Sakura had a close call with Death himself, and this sudden turn of event evoked the long-surpassed memories and emotions from that incident. She succumbed to the oppressive fear and let out a soft whimper at the helplessness of the situation. Her life was at the complete mercy of this handsome stranger. Death felt like a breath away. Itachi remained unmoved, silently observing her from her back.

"You don't belong here do you? Those eyes and that inhumane speed… Let me help you, so please don't kill me…" Sakura discarded her dignity and was begging shamelessly to be spared, willing to go to any extend just to see the crack of dawn. _I can't die, not yet._

"Alright." Itachi withdrew his hand and kept his kunai at the hidden pocket on his pants beneath the loose hospital top. Sakura was instantly drowned by a sense of relief, and scepticism.

"Y-you sure? I could be lying and report you to the Police, you know."

"And why would you do that?" Now that they were back to the conversational mode, Itachi no longer appeared as menacing as before. Sakura dared a glimpse at his eyes and discovered that they were no longer gleaming red. _It must be the darkness and light playing tricks to my eyes._

In fact, he seemed rather harmless, smugly raising his eyebrow and challenging her pathetic empty threat. Sakura huffed in disbelief. _Guys can be so full of themselves._

"On the account of my Kanae Itachi-san, I shall… Keep to my promise. _Alright_?" She felt deflated and resigned to the situation. Itachi merely nodded his head.

"Where do you live?"

_Oh, what have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

Sakura escorted Kana- Uchiha Itachi towards her twenty-storey high apartment with the enthusiasm of a middle-schooler waking up at six in the morning. Sakura sighed inwardly; she sneaked a look at the stranger sauntering next to her, the earlier murderous intent completely lost with each approaching steps to his temporary new home.

Here she was living her dream of bringing home an exceedingly stunning eye-candy, who also happened to hold an uncanny resemblance to her idol Kanae Itachi (seriously, and the same name?), yet she was feeling none of the vicarious thrill from her over-active imagination. Sakura was disappointed.

"This is a good life lesson – don't expect dreams to be as good as reality; you are just setting yourself up for disappointment." Sakura muttered out loud to herself while brooding over her ruined fantasy.

"Did you say something, Sakura-san?" Itachi asked without commitment to a startled Sakura. "Wh-what? No, it's nothing. And how do you know my name?" That was the bugging question that she has been dying to know since he left the note addressed to her name at the hospital.

"I am a ninja; I am trained to collect intel." How shrewd of him to answer her question while being vague with the details. Sakura clicked her tongue at his elusive and absurd response. _Did he just call himself a ninja? He must be either delusional or deranged. _She thought she caught a slight tug at the corner of his lips, but she was uncertain. Nothing was certain the moment he entered her life, without warning.

* * *

"Konbanwa, Kotetsu-san. Is Izumo-san off for the day?"

"Konbanwa, Sakura-chan! That's right. I'm handling the night shift today." Kotetsu Hagane boomed. Sakura nodded sympathetically in reply. Being the Head of Security of the Haruna Residence meant three things – Responsibility, Restless nights and Ridiculous working hours. In that aspect, Kotetsu-san seemed to be coping fine, if you exclude the dark circles surfacing under his eyes and the slightly havoc hairstyle.

"Speaking of which, aren't you late tonight! Did you find yourself a commitment?" Kotetsu winked, causing Sakura to blossom into various shades of pink, while sending fugitive glances at Itachi. His cool facade remained indecipherable.

"N-no! Mou, Kotetsu-san! Alright I'm going in, thanks for the good job, as usual!" Nudging Itachi, they entered the compound with the speed of a hot-blooded housewife during an annual big sale.

It was only after they had brisk past the chortling night-shifter that she realised something - it was extremely wise and polite of Kotetsu-san to omit making small-talk and comments on her rare male companion.

It would have been awkward.

* * *

"Come on here, I live on the tenth floor." Sakura prompted him languidly towards the lift.

"We aren't using the stairs?" Itachi enquired with mild curiosity.

"For goodness' sake, I just said I live on the TENTH FLOOR, and in case you didn't know, that's quite HIGH UP." Sakura did not bother that she was acting like a cranky old spinster; she was too washed out to maintain her lady-like poise in front of her idol look-alike. Upon the lack of response from the lift, her eyes fumed with disgruntlement that the up button failed to light up.

"Damn, what's the use of providing a lift if it's breaking down all the time?" Sakura yelled unapologetically at the non-responsive lift, the only reply being the high-pitched echo that resounded throughout the lobby.

Itachi appeared thoughtful. For a second, he remained stationary in front of the offending lift, whatever it was; unaware of the reason why this door was causing such discomposure to Sakura. He moved closer towards Sakura and wordlessly lifted her against his solid chest, bridal-style.

"Eek! What are you doing? Put me down!" Sakura shrieked, and began to batter unglamorously at Itachi's surprisingly toned chest, much to her irritation. _What is he going to do to me now?_

Itachi began running towards the lush courtyard in the middle of the compound, surrounded by the apartment units. Effortlessly and with the grace that only a slender man like himself could pull off, he carried Sakura and himself up to the tallest tree. Next, he propelled them from one branch towards a thicker branch hanging adjacent to the tenth floor corridor, before hopping onto the bare corridor with a dull click of his sandals.

Sakura was rendered speechless, by whatever stunt this Uchiha Itachi just pulled on her. Itachi noticed her lack of movement, and gently nudged her out of her reverie. She leaped out of his embrace like a child who touched a hot kettle.

"You did not just jump from the first floor onto the tallest tree, and landed unscathed on the tenth floor, _while carrying me_." Itachi remained passive, once again baffled by her disconcertment at solving their predicament. _Was it uncommon to travel by trees these days?_

"Which is your apartment, Sakura-san?"

* * *

Itachi carefully slipped off his sandals before stepping into Sakura's two-room apartment, tugged at the extreme corner of the barren corridor. As expected of a lady's apartment, it was kept pristine and delicate flower arrangements of lily of the valley, orange blossom and red tulips were displayed on the round white polished coffee table. The small rectangular space has a black leather sofa with diamond embellishments on the indents of the back pillows, leaning against the wall with an organic stand lamp next to it, now casting a soft yellow glow in the room. Apart from a wooden picture frame and a round clock that adorned the spotless white wall, it was otherwise minimally decorated.

They made a right turn into her bedroom. The first thing that jumped at him was the posters of himself, of _Kanae_ Itachi, along the left profile of the wall. In one of them, Kanae was shirtless, wearing a slightly baggy black leather pants with a chain dangling from the side pocket, in a walking stance focused defiantly ahead. Itachi frowned at the brashness of this Itachi person (he was tempted to say himself) and perturbed that such an inappropriate image was inside a lady's room.

"What you staring at?" Sakura questioned tactlessly. She was only aware of the sheer quantity of Kanae Itachi's posters lined along the wall until she saw him eyeing her prized possessions. For the first time, she was mildly embarrassed by her extensive collection, possibly because no opposite gender (other than Naruto) had ever entered her apartment, much less her bedroom. She saw his eyes narrowed at the half-naked poster of Kanae from his ILLUSION concert two year back, and decided that was enough for tonight.

"You-"

"You have a nice place." For the umpteen time, she was thrown off by the sincerely and serenity of his usually distant tone. Their eye made contact; his irises were no longer the fiery red but now a dull tone of charcoal, and she could not help but reluctantly noticed, the thick set of lashes that framed his feline eyes. A little down his tear ducts laid a deep crease stretching outwards on each side of his face.

Before she was about to be lost in the abyss of his surreal exquisiteness, she hastily cleared her throat and declared a tad too loudly to Itachi,"You can have the bed." Sakura was really just acting her role as a generous host, and she just so happened to have changed her bed sheets this morning, that lucky chad.

Itachi seemed like he wanted to argue, but after detecting the torrent of counterargument at the tip of Sakura's tongue, waiting to be unleashed, he decided it was not worth his effort. Besides, he was entirely beat from all that running, not to mention the shock of this absurd situation. Itachi mutedly nodded.

_More haste, less spee__d. I shall stay by this Sakura girl and gather more intel about this strange world tomorrow._

"Good, now let me go take a shower. You, stay in this room and rest. I'm sure you are tired, ne?" Sakura offered good-naturedly, albeit wearily. She did not wait for his answer and went on to grab a fresh set of night wear before making a bee-line for the bathroom.

* * *

"Gosh, why am I being so friendly to him? He threatened and nearly killed me just now!" She knew that letting a male stranger to her house was dangerous, that this man was dangerous; she was literally inviting danger to her doorstep.

The clear lucid water gliding down her shoulder blades, gently caressing her with their barely there touch reminded her of the earlier skin-contact with Uchiha Itachi, when he carried them to the tenth floor without even batting an eyelash. She discovered that he evaded her question (to how he carried them up) again, this time with a diversion. _He must be a mentalist or something._

Despite her porcelain skin, radiance complexion and slim build, she has never dated before. Not after she has set her eyes on that spiky head of raven hair, Sasuke-kun, _her _Sasuke-kun. He was the walking manifestation of every girl's dream – incredibly intelligent with off-the-charts charisma, and the aloofness that surrounded him just seemed to draw in on a lady's penchant for bad boys.

Sakura sighed as she relinquished the feelings of Itachi's firm grip around her, as though protecting her from the world's harm. It felt so comforting and warm; it was no wonder why Ino was always going on about how amazing it was to snuggle in the crook of her boyfriend's embrace.

"If only they were Sasuke-kun's, then I would really die with no regrets!"

* * *

Itachi was lying awkwardly on Sakura's bed, unused to resting on a maiden's bed. He could make out the rhythmic splashing of the water dancing against the bathroom floor. It seemed to lure him into a false sense of tranquillity, which he unwillingly accepted with open arms. His body required the rest, and he knew it. He stared aimlessly at the bleak ceiling, recalling the day's events.

He could only come to an unsatisfactory conclusion - he has never felt so uncertain in his entire life.

* * *

**Thank you, for reading to the end of this chapter. Feel free to leave comments/reviews so I can better improve for the subsequent chapters ^^**


	3. My Illusion, My Reality

**Chapter 3 – My Illusion, My Reality**

_**The next morning**_

_Ahh, there's somebody standing in my room... I'm so sleepy... Wait, that looks like Kanae Itachi... Why is he smiling at me? Whatever, his smile looks so good… But why does it feel like a Deja vu?_

"Whoa!" Sakura abruptly sat up from the mattress, stirred awoke from her bizarre dream. The room was dark with the curtains drawn, but she was certain she neglected to draw it shut the night before. Speaking of which, what was she doing, depriving herself of her warm and comfy bed and sleeping on the cold hard floor?

"Good morning, Sakura-san," came a polite male greeting.

"Eeek! Itachi-san! Why are you in my room? Oh my god, am I still dreaming?" Sakura smacked herself twice on the cheek, rubbed off the remaining sleep in her eyes, and peered carefully at the lone figure. He was standing in front of her shelf of extensive literature, head tilted down at her direction. Just like that, the previous night's episode came on like a bad replay. Itachi remained unaffected by her chameleon of facial expressions, and watched on patiently as understanding finally dawn upon her jade orbs.

"Oh, it's just _you_, good morning indeed." _And here I thought that my idol was in my room, how silly of me. _Itachi raised a tentative eyebrow, not wanting to provoke her any further. Since he never had the opportunity to lounge in the same room as a female, he was unsure of the appropriate behaviour other than a habitual good morning greeting. Maybe it was different with the ladies?

Sakura unzipped and self-consciously crawled out of her poorly insulated sleeping bag, and started packing it. Even though Itachi's attention went back to the book shelves and was no longer on her, it was still unnerving to wake up and be in the same room as a male, much less a male as earth-shattering gorgeous as him. She made her way to the kitchen sink and was mortified by what was on the mirror – uncoordinated hair, dark circles and a hideous set of pyjamas left by her late mother. Once again, Sakura smacked her now flustered cheeks in disbelief. She recalled grabbing it hastily last night just to break away from the intensity of their eye contact.

"I feel like such a klutz... And I've always thought I was quite a refined lady." She muttered between mouthfuls of mint toothpaste. Spitting off the remaining toothpaste, she was greeted by another unexpected sight – home-made breakfast on the practically unused glass dining table. Most of the time, she would either eat over at Naruto or Ino's apartment or during her part-time hours, she would dine out with the quirky staffs there. Itachi was leaning against the kitchen sliding door, gauging her reaction.

"You made this?"

"I would say I assembled, since I didn't actually cook anything." He was not just being modest. On the table laid two plates of sandwich, "assembled" from the bag of wholegrain sliced breads kept inside her food container, a freshly purchased tomato from the basket of fruits on her dining table, assorted lettuce and mayonnaise which he must have come upon while savaging through her refrigerator. To top it off, there was even two clean cups of papaya juice freshly prepared from that expensive juice blender tucked away in her bottom kitchen cabinet, happily purchased but never in use (as her dining table).

Besides the overly thoughtful and nutritious breakfast, he left no trace of activity in the otherwise spic and span kitchen.

Sakura was impressed. Make that _very _impressed.

"W-wow, thanks. You didn't have to, you know?"

"It's for last night. I apologise for being... Intrusive. Hope I didn't scare you too much." Sakura could tell that he was sincere from the way his eyes softened around the edges and the slight downturn tilt of his head. The raw hostility and coldness now felt like a bad dream. Sakura relaxed and smiled.

"Come on, let's eat."

* * *

Sakura felt more energetic after the peaceful and silent breakfast with Itachi and her quick shower. She hastily took down her dried underwear hanging in the bathroom, careful to shield it from his line of vision, and made a dash for her room.

"Your turn, Itachi-san." Itachi nodded and entered in a moment's heartbeat.

"Thank goodness it's Sunday so no work for today..." Sakura mumbled while lightly padding some loose powder over her near flawless skin. Usually, she was very passionate over her part-time job, but now that she has one more head to look after, it did not feel right to dump him alone in her apartment to go stitching other patient's wounds. There was also the "proper" explanation that she owed Lady Tsunade, which she had not had the mind to come up with yet.

"Knock-knock, Sakura-san, are you home?"

"Ah, yes coming!" _Who was that, so early in the morning?_

"LEE? What are you doing here? It's seven in the morning!" Rock Lee (A rather memorable name, but not necessarily in a good way, Sakura thought) was one year her senior at their school. He held a stunning resemblance to the prominent Chinese martial arts fighter, Bruce Lee, topping off with bushier eye-brows, extremely round eyes with short lower lashes at wide intervals (oh dear) and lime green spandex overalls in place of Bruce's classic yellow.

It was quite a (disturbing) sight.

They were not particularly close, except that the whole of their school were well-informed of his steadfast crush on Sakura, even with the knowledge that it was unrequited. She had rejected him on countless occasions that she just could not find the heart to stop his relentless love confessions.

"Good morning, Sakura-san! I dropped by the hospital this morning to visit Gai-sensei, and Shizune-san requested me to pass this bag to you?" Lee replied with an enthusiasm that should not be present at this time of the day.

"Oh, thank you Lee-san. Sorry to trouble you over such trivial matters." Even though she felt that Lee could be too determined for his own good, she could not deny the amicable air surrounding his jovial nature. He was also one of the few people she had met that did not gag at her pink hair when they first met, and she was grateful.

"Anytime for you, Sakura-san! She also reminded you to go find her, saying you left without a word the last night? Ok, got to run, I still have approximately twenty kilometres to cover for this morning!" He was gone with the wind before she even managed to utter a decent farewell. Lee also happened to be a... Compulsive exercise addict. Sakura sighed and shut the door.

Sakura perched herself on the sofa edge and began pulling out the mysterious contents of the bag. It could not be that leftover pizza from last night's staff gathering, right? Gagging, she proceeded to pull out a navy blue headband with a metal plate screwed by the sides on the centre. It was carved with the Konoha town symbol, with a long scratch mark drawn over it.

"What is this doing in his possession? Is Itachi-san in some kind of Konoha protest campaign?" She mused and mulled over it for a second, before shoving it aside and to mention it again sometime.

Next, she extracted out that faithful lavender top and matching bottom, along with a mesh top and a pair of white leggings, all freshly laundered.

"Shizune-san is so nice, guess she deserves more than just a piece of my cooking." She made up her mind to get her something worthwhile.

There was also her touch-screen phone, which explained the silence from her usually rowdy coterie. As expected, it was dead. She mindlessly plugged it to the nearest power socket.

She felt around the paper bag and skimmed across something cool at the bottom. It was a necklace with multiple oval silver pendants that were hollow in the centre. She was surprised that Itachi was into accessories, given his preference for plain apparels. She ran her fingers lightly overs each of the pendants.

"So beautiful, yet the part where the heart is was hollow, like the owner."

* * *

Sakura had to surpass her laughter when she saw Itachi stepping out of the shower. She was so distracted by his presence that she completely missed something amusing – his current attire. Since the previous night, he had been striding around in that hideous green hospital attire. Even though it was hand-picked by Sakura and Lady Tsunade, it was mostly a forced acceptance on her part. After all, she was a mere part-timer, and who was she to object her lady boss when she was practically raving over the softness of those garments

"What's so funny, Sakura-san?" You could trust Itachi to catch on to every of her mood changes.

"It's nothing. Here, something nice- nicer for you to wear. We've got to return that attire you're wearing to the hospital, you know?" Itachi did not particularly enjoy being ordered around, especially not by some weak teenager. However, she did provide him shelter and food, so it was the least for him to accept whatever that came, for now.

Itachi grudgingly accepted the paper bag, and returned to the shower. Sakura observed his retreating back, filled with ambivalence. Despite the hideousness of the clothing, it somehow appeared _chic _on him, in a minimalist and unconventional manner. With him sticking around, Sakura was sure that there would be something to be amazed about, every day.

* * *

She was still seated on the sofa when Itachi came out of the bathroom.

"Not going anywhere?"

"Why not we have a talk? Come, have a seat, _Uchiha _Itachi-san." Sakura said using her saccharine voice, usually reserved before reprimanding Naruto over his silly pranks.

Itachi knew this was inevitable, but he was not exactly feeling social, especially since even he was unsure of his current plight. Sakura tried the softer approach.

"I know this is hard, but I want to try and help you in any way I can, ne, Itachi-san?" Itachi released an inaudible sigh, before sinking onto the sofa beside her. Sakura felt her heart rate picking up against her will.

"S-so, Itachi-san, why not you begin by explaining your purple nails?" _That was not what I wanted to say!_

"I'm sorry?" He glanced down at his slightly chipped polished finger nails, brows furrowed in contemplation.

"Er-hem, let me rephrase that. You said you are a ninja?" Sakura figured that the ideal question would be to begin with something he claimed, given that she knew next to nothing about him besides his bizarre obsession to purple.

"Do you think that I'm lying?" Itachi's voice was laced with curiosity.

"Actually, I don't see any reason for you to lie. I'm neither rich nor pretty, and there's nothing desirable about me, what good would come out for lying to me?" Sakura rattled out unapologetically. She had long come to terms with herself that she needed none to lead a content life – she had lost her two most important links and everything was dull in comparison. _Except maybe Sasuke-kun_.

She really did not expect him to console her pity-party, but he could have at least contradicted her words with a measly 'That's not true;' surely that was not too hard? She should start lowering her expectations in life.

"You mentioned that I was found unconscious in your room?" Instead, he had to change the subject. However, now that Itachi mentioned it, Sakura was blown that it had completely slipped her mind.

"That's right; do you remember how you ended up in my room?" She was dying for a legitimate answer. Itachi's only response was a far-away look, before he shot up from the sofa.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"To the crime scene."

* * *

Sakura had never felt so blind in her whole life. Hanging next to her bed, where the life size poster of Kanae Itachi lay, was a gaping white space, which she failed to notice. She literally was hanging a white paper against her white wall. She rushed towards her bed and anxiously ran her hands over its smooth surface.

"This is terrible! Where did my Itachi-san go?"

"Calm down Sakura-san. You panicking will not change anything." What Itachi really wanted to reply was - _I'm behind you if you're looking for me_.

"You don't know anything! This poster practically saved my life! It's the only reason we're in my room and having this conversation!" Itachi was askance at how a lifeless sheet of glossy paper could have such life-saving ability, so he decided to focus on the original issue at hand.

"Which part of this room did I land on?" That might shed some light to this senseless situation.

Sakura took in a steady deep breath, clenched and unclenched her shaking fists, before replying.

"It's on this bed, which you slept on last night," Sakura added redundantly.

He deliberated for a moment, while his eyes went darting back and forth between the bed and the poster, the area around his eyes hardening.

"As absurd as it is for you to believe I'm a ninja, I believe that I landed in your room through the poster of your idol," he closed his eyes as a form of conclusion.

"What?" Sakura breathed out. She was not only blind; she must also be hallucinating now. _What is he saying?_

"It's time you realised something." Itachi took a determined step forward and was staring intently at Sakura; she felt overwhelmed with a vague premonition of doom.

"Sakura-san, I'm not from this world."

"Ne, Itachi-san… Now's not really the time for jokes. Don't think that just because you can move like a ninja and jump to high grounds…" Sakura's pupils widen in uncertainty, unsure to just take his words lightly or in the literal sense. However, judging from the grave expression on his face, she was beginning to buy onto the latter.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sakura felt herself aged tenfold, and went sagged against the wall by her bed.

Itachi remained where he was, standing awkwardly in an alien environment. He hated to admit it, to concede to the fact that his Mankekyou Sharingan was drastically weak, and practically a child's play in comparison to this ultimate land of illusion where he was forced upon, with no way out.

* * *

A minute, an instant or a little more had passed by, but they held no significance to the duo. For them, time might as well have stopped running.

"Ne, Itachi-san," there came a distant sounding voice.

"Hmm?"

"Shall we go shopping? People will look at you funny should you continue wearing like this." Truth be told, Sakura was in no mood for anything, much less to shop. She was deliberately going against the saying, "Fact do not ceased to exist because they are ignored." In fact, the line between fact and fiction was growing blurry with each passing moment.

"… Alright."

"What? You do know what shopping is right, _ninja _Itachi-san?" Sakura mocked, intentionally putting emphasis on the word 'ninja'. Itachi closed his eyes, as though in frustration.

"I shall wait for you by the entrance."

* * *

…

_Do I appear to be so unpresentable that she has to suggest a shopping trip… In the midst of a crisis?_

"Sorry for waiting, let's go get you redressed up!" The earlier lacklustre eyes were completely wiped out, replaced with an impish glint, causing Itachi to have second thoughts about his earlier ill-considered decision to accept her invitation.

On their way passing by the surprisingly empty guard house, Sakura attempted an ice breaker.

"So Itachi-san, tell me about yourself." He casted a side-way glance at her, unsure of what or where to begin.

"My name is Uchiha Itachi, and I am a ninja from where I came from," Itachi announced as a matter-of-factly.

"You are a ninja and magically teleported here from another world, I got that alright," Sakura replied sarcastically. Itachi deftly chose to ignore her caustic remark.

"What about your place of birth? You did mention that you used to live here right?" After waiting for a nod of confirmation, she continued on indignantly, "If you were from another freaking world, then how did you happen to live here, in this world too?"

"My world bears many similarities to yours, Sakura-san. You may not know this, but my hometown is also called Konoha."

They had just arrived at the outskirts of the central market, avoiding the jam by taking the route along the peaceful street of the Uchiha district. Sakura screeched to a stop, mentally putting two and two together.

"Hold on a second. You said you are a ninja; your hometown is Konoha and you used to live here– are you saying that you came from the past?" Sakura was flabbergasted by her illogical conclusion. _Is that even possible?_

"I believe that's the best way of putting it, Sakura-san." Itachi thought that hearing it from another person's mouth made his circumstances sounded more like a reality.

"I knew that it was recorded in the history that ninjas used to exist in many states, including Konoha, but saying you came from the past? That's just too much." Sakura was struggling to maintain her sense of rationality, refusing to submit despite hearing the most plausible reasoning to his abrupt appearance so far.

Itachi was supposed to be dead, and not living a second time in the future with no possible future. He never wished to have anything for himself other than being the pillar of support of his dear little brother. He had played his part, didn't he?

"Itachi-san, what is the meaning of this?" This was meant to be a delightful shopping trip between a guy with a disastrous sense of fashion and a concerned part-time medic, with no complications. Why did it have to turn into a Discovery channel time-travel episode?

Itachi burrowed his eyebrows and seemed to be waging an internal war to his following course of action. His eyes swiped up and found hers. He edged closer towards a bewildered Sakura, Sharingan activated and blazing in all its mighty glory, causing her to back against the filthy brick wall.

"…!"

"Allow me to show you, the Konoha where I came from."

* * *

"_Are you leaving for your mission now? Will you be coming back home for dinner?" There came a female voice drifting passed her ears like a gentle morning breeze._

What's going on? _Sakura scanned her surroundings, and Itachi was nowhere in sight. She was alone standing awkwardly in the way of the sudden activity of civilians striding along the Uchiha District. She was astonished to find that nearly everyone were donning on an identical black tee-shirt with the familiar-looking fan shape symbol on their back, which she came across somewhere. In stark contrast to her pink pastel sundress, she felt that she stood out like a sore thumb. Some of them had on an outer navy green bomber jacket, with the similar forehead protector in Itachi's possession. There was not any with a harsh slash over it._

"_Yes Mother, and no I'm not sure." That voice! Sakura spun to her right, only to realise she was facing the Kanae compound, but something felt amiss. She inched her way forward, daring a peek over the noren with the all too familiar fan symbol imprinted on it. In fact, the symbol was also carved across the walls along the entire stretch of the district, looking relatively clean in comparison to the dirty one she was leaning against a while ago._

"_I know you are very capable, but please be careful, Itachi." Sakura could no longer contain her composure – sitting on the threshold of the Kanae mansion was Itachi-san, idly wearing his sandals while the owner of that melodious female voice, presumably his Mother, was addressing him behind, her body language and tone laced with tender concern._

How sweet, but why am I seeing this? Which Itachi-san am I watching now?

"_I'll be taking my leave." Itachi hopped from the threshold onto the same floor level as her, and proceeded to take a right turn from the exit cum entrance. She noticed he was wearing the leaf headband, but without a slash over it. _This must be Uchiha Itachi, then. But why am I seeing this?

_At this precise moment, there came an adorable child wearing an identical but slightly over sized tee-shirt as everyone along the district, dashing in her direction. Before she could leap out of his way, he went spontaneously passing through her. Just then, everything felt into place._

This must be Uchiha Itachi-san's memories! But, how?

_The scene went vaporising and she was transported into dimly lit woodlands. She inhaled deeply and was instantly filled with a charge of refreshing crisp air. She closed her eyes, relishing in this ephemeral moment, and felt that she had been deprived of clean air all her life. It smelt of mildew, wood and rustling leaves. A ting of nostalgia went coursing through her body, inexplicable to her._

_In the clearing ahead, she could make out the pitter-patter of moving feet. With the curiosity of a learning child, she felt herself drawn towards the sound. There was a teen, perhaps a few years her junior, setting up multiple bull's eye boards around the clearing. As the place was lacking in light, she could not put a face to the boy teen._

_After the initial setup was completed, he retreated to the centre, lowered his head, and closed his eyes in concentration. Sakura was taking cover behind one of the nearby maple tree, looking on while she swallowed a mouthful of saliva in anticipation._

_One moment he was on the ground and the next he was gone like a flash of lightning. Her eyes caught him mid-air, armed with those threatening sharp blades. He performed a slick somersault and the instant his body flipped with his head (pointing downward) perpendicular to the ground, he began to deftly fire off the blades systematically, in seemingly random directions. Next, he pulled out a pair of similar blades and launched them accurately towards two specific blades, causing them to be propelled off course._

_Everything happened within seven seconds, with each precious second fully utilised. The boy strategically timed every move down to the instant his feet made contact with the ground, all blades hit the bull's eye precisely on the mark one after another, like a chain reaction._

_Sakura was unaware that she was holding her breath, when he suddenly looked up and she was greeted by that familiar pair of sharp crimson orbs, partially obscured by the black locks falling around his pale cheeks. She was paralysed with dismay and bewilderment, but sane enough to figure no normal human being could pull off that level of stunt, unless he was a ninja. No, unless he was Uchiha Itachi._

_Her mind was truly blown off when her attention was pulled away by the reflection of a blade sticking defiantly out of the bull's eye sitting behind a big boulder._

Amazing, he even got a bull's eye on the target at a blind spot-

"_Amazing, Brother! You even got a bull's eye on the target behind the rock!" Sakura was startled out of her jumbled thoughts by a youthful voice coming from a few metres away from her location. She twisted around and was surprised to discover it was that boy in that oversize tee-shirt. She was so distracted by Itachi's finesse that she failed to sense his presence._

"_Alright! I can do it too!" The boy exclaimed and simultaneously pulled out a pair of sharp blades from thin air. She was really concerned by the fact that his parents permitted the liberal use of such deadly tools, and was aching to stretch out and grab those nasty weapons out of the toddler's grasp._

Hold on, did that boy just called Itachi-san 'Brother?'

Like a rock that has shattered into a million pieces, the scene evaporated and she was brought back to reality, leaning heavily against the filthy wall. Itachi was regarding her with wistful eyes, flashing prominently red; definitely not the lights playing tricks on her eyes.

"Itachi-san, did… Did you just show me your memories? What did you do to me?" Sakura felt slightly petrified by this surreal experience, yet it also left behind a ting of bitter-sweet sensation in her head.

"That was a genjutsu, an illusion that allows the user to control the opponent's mind and deceive it into seeing what the caster desires," Itachi paused and noticed that Sakura was shrinking and hugging herself, as though protecting herself while moving unconsciously away from him. Nevertheless, he continued with his explanation.

"All I did was merely showing you a small piece of my memory, so don't worry, Sakura-san. It will not have any detrimental effects on your brain," Itachi added thoughtfully. Upon hearing his last sentence, Sakura visibly relaxed, and her short-lived fear was replaced by an arousing curiosity at Itachi's unique ability.

"So, does that mean all ninjas can perform this kind of trick?" Sakura enquired like a child wondering what a rainbow is.

"Sadly, that is not the case. It is highly dependent on the ninja's personal strength and affinity with… His inner energy," Itachi added lamely, unsure of any other way to define chakra.

"Wow, so you can still use your… Genjutsu here? That's… That's amazing, Itachi-san! I have no idea ninjas have special powers besides specialising in lethal weapons!" Seeing how delighted and impressed Sakura was made Itachi felt self-conscious and homesick, by memories of Sasuke stalking him, of him suddenly bursting out of the bush and singing praises after his training sessions.

"It seems like that's the case." Even Itachi was taken aback by this discovery, back when he had successfully casted a genjutsu on the toddler who caught him on the tree branch.

"You were not lying all these times," Sakura immediately felt awful for all the mockeries and negative comments she had thrown at Itachi; she thought that should their circumstances be switched and she was the one being chastised by him, she would have felt miserable, and extra lonely.

"I was not lying, and never wanted to, not if I had to." Sakura felt that he was referring to a distant matter, but after sharing this valuable part of him with her, any vestige of suspicions towards him gradually became non-existent.

"So… The Uchiha District was once your clan's property…" She could not believe the words she was uttering; the clan system was such an archaic concept that if it was not for Itachi's… Genjutsu, she would not for a hundred years gave her complete credence to the Uchiha story's tell-tale.

"…"

"And the Kanae compound was where you used to live…" Sakura felt like a parrot. _And you are no doubt a hundred percent authentic ninja._

Itachi was spotting a faraway look in his eyes, no doubt reminiscing about his hometown, his _era's_ hometown.

"I… Thank you for trusting me. S-sorry for poking fun at you, Itachi-san…" He glance down at her, and once again, she felt her consciousness swallowed up by the endless lustre of those hypnotising eyes. Those onyx commas that signified his incomplete life story, with more to come in the future, in the future with her.

Itachi deactivated his Sharingan to prevent anyone from landing their eyes upon his blood red ones; it would be tricky should he end up having to resort to casting the entire street of people into his mirage. He offered a semblance of a smile at Sakura, silently gratified by her almost instantaneous acceptance of his otherworldly side, in the most literal sense of the phrase.

"Don't you always want to know about me? Some things are better described without words."

* * *

They got Itachi five sets black of loose tee-shirt, slim-fitting bermudas, two pair of slim-fitting jeans 'to catch up with the times' and a pair of black leather boots, against Itachi's protest. "Take it as my welcoming gift! Besides, they are hot!" _Sure, they are definitely hot (to wear)_, Itachi thought.

He managed to ignore her other 'constructive feedback,' like her suggesting him to discard those 'comfy and unflattering wear to flaunt his impressive built' and him insisting he preferred discretion and practicality.

"You're just shy, Itachi-san." _He was probably not even aware of his oozing charisma and splendid body, which just increases his desirability with the ladies. _Sakura reflected, watching at how Itachi seemed to titillate the women of the mall with every flip of his tantalising pony-tail.

"I'm paying, so I believe I get to pick what I deem suitable," Itachi declared as he spontaneously flashed out a dense set of notes, to a gaping Sakura. Though slightly over the hill, they were still perfectly relevant, as the market still accepted the obsolete notes, much to Sakura's displeasure.

"Where did you hide all those notes? I didn't come across any when the staff strip- uh, unclothed you!"

_Unclothe? What a disturbing notion…_ "As I repeated countless times, I am a ninja, and I happen to specialise in the art of concealment."

"That's… Good for you I guess," Sakura vowed to pick up some of his tips and tricks to prevent any Sasuke's secret photographs from being disclosed to Ino's prying eyes and Naruto's chanced encounter on her beloved treasure. _After all, it's not like you can come across a ninja with sheer luck!_

* * *

"Mou… Weekends are such a downer. You can never find any seats in any restaurants!" Sakura was not a person who indulged in exorbitant delicacies, but she did not think treating Itachi to Naruto's stash of instant ramen at her house was an appropriate welcoming gesture.

"Why not order a takeaway? It's quieter to eat at your house too," Itachi suggested helpfully.

"Urgh, you're right. Waitress!" After leaving the overcrowded restaurant with two packets of Japanese curry with katsu dons, Sakura recalled her earlier plans.

"Itachi-san, I need to head over to the hospital for a while. Why not you take our dinner and these shopping bags home? I'll catch up in a jiffy!"

"Alright."

Sakura was really warming up to Itachi – he was one of the rarer guys who always respected her decisions (except with regards to those form-fitting tee-shirts) with no questions asked.

"Here are my house keys. It's the pink one, but I believe you already know that!" With that, she skittered off. Itachi stood still for a second to observe her retreating back, tilting his head slightly in amusement.

"What an energetic girl."

* * *

"Good afternoon, Shizune-san! Sorry for leaving so abruptly the other night, and thank you so much for that bag of clothes! You are the sweetest, you know that?" Sakura was shamelessly sucking up to Shizune, and both of them knew it. Sakura knew how much Shizune loved hearing flattering words, which was how she got Shizune to shower her with mouth-watering pastries despite her frenetic schedule.

"Stop it Sakura, you know I am going to believe everything you said…" Shizune sighly dramatically, already falling for her apple-polishes.

"No, I meant it! As an expression of gratitude, I got you a little something…" Sakura cleared the loose papers on the receptionist desk, before placing her present – a cage, on the cleared space.

"What's this? Oh, Sakura, you didn't!" Shizune carefully plucked out the pink animal snoring in the white and grey cage, in an attempt to not stir it awake. Pigs prized sleep before anything else, after all.

"I knew you loved it more than anybody ever would, it would be a pity if it got adopted by somebody else!" Two weeks ago, Sakura saw Shizune loitering outside a pet's adoption shop, playing with a small but plump pig by the display window. Since her uncle's decease, it was the first time she ever saw light entered her lifeless pupils.

Two weeks later, after much consideration, she did what she felt was the most appropriate – she adopted it in the name of Shizune.

"This is the best damn present I have ever received in my entire life, Sakura-chan. Thank you." She saw tears of euphoria welling up by the corner of her eyes, brows that were no longer frowning, and most importantly, love scintillating in her eyes at the adorable pig. She had not abandoned her ability to love.

"You have to name her!" Her smile was infectious; Sakura could not control herself from making a fool of herself and breaking into a jolly dance.

"Don't worry about that, Sakura-chan. I've already done that long ago, long long ago."

* * *

"Alright, I shall talk to Lady Tsunade about it, Sakura-chan. It must be something important for you to take a week's leave." It was the least Shizune felt she could do; that was her way of returning her favour.

"I am so sorry to trouble you again, Shizune-san. I still can't find the courage to face her yet…" Sakura trailed off, immersed in thought.

"Don't worry about it. Speaking of which, Lady Tsunade wanted to pass this to you." In her outstretched hands were two pairs of rimmed spectacles, in lavender and cobalt.

"These are for that boy who you brought in two weeks ago? Both are custom-made to suit his eye conditions and were made with titanium for extra sturdiness," Shizune explained.

"I understand. But, why are there two pairs…?" Sakura was nonplussed since normally, people were prescribed with a pair. She also wondered if Lady Tsunade selected purple based on Itachi's clothing colour preference.

"We took considerations of his… Lifestyle, and judging from the severity of his wounds, one pair might not last for over a year, regardless of its durability." Shizune elaborated on meekly.

"Ahhh… How thoughtful of you and Lady Tsunade, let me thank you on his behalf, ne?" With a final wave, she left the hospital, feeling that it was possibly the best place to hang out in, despite the irony.

* * *

After casting a weak genjutsu over the security guards to conceal his presence, he entered the Haruna residence. He was doing it to minimise any inconvenience for Sakura; it might raise unnecessary concerns should she be seen with a male companion all the time.

He stopped short when he realised he had made his way to the central courtyard on instinct. He thought he should give the lift a go, blending in with the times and all.

Itachi hit the up button and waited. The panels slide aside to reveal an enclosed space with cerulean interior and sparse lighting. On the inner walls of the space laid two rows of numeric, and he promptly hit the '10' button as the door closed.

"Hey, wait up!" There came a hand pressing against the closing panel, before sliding back to reveal a blonde wearing only a purple cropped top and matching mini skirt, despite the coolness of the weather. She appeared to be around Sakura's age.

"Sorry."

"Didn't you seeing me approaching- I-I mean, thank you so much!" The girl's penalising tone spontaneously morphed into a flirtatious voice, threaded with uncensored adoration over the unknowing Itachi.

"Which floor?"

"It's the eighth, thanks…?" Itachi politely responded with a nod, not falling for the bait.

_Damn, he's being elusive, not wanting to tell me his name! If that's the case…_

"I heaven seen you around, are you new?" Yamanaka Ino initiated, in an attempt to have him divulge some information.

"Hmm."

"This place is so quiet that it hurts my ears! What do you think?" Ino went on good-naturedly.

"I prefer a quiet environment."

"…" _Ding-dong._

"It's your floor," Itachi spoke while looking expectantly at the corridor.

The lift door went shut with a resounding thump. Ino was always the one patronising the guys, never on the receiving end of such outright cold treatment. To top it off, she was bluntly rejected by an attractive and pretty tall guy, with a head of silky hair that put hers that required hours of conditioning and tainting to shame. His seemed like it was born that way.

"Damn, who knew guys with long hair could be so freaking sexy?"

* * *

Upon reaching her front door, she was alarmed to spot a pair of sandals lying next to her tattered red slippers, before shaking her head in disbelief at her failing memory. _I'm no longer the only resident in the apartment._ The notion of a company perked her up.

"I'm home! Sorry for the wait, Itachi-san. You must be famished!"

"You're back, let's eat then." Itachi had already transferred the packet dinner onto her housewares, accompanied by two cups of appetising tomato juices. He was starting to feel more like an attentive butler as opposed to a guest.

"Itachi-san… You are killing me with your thoughtfulness… Oh before I forgot…" She snapped out of her trance and fished inside her bag for Itachi's glasses.

"Purple or blue, pick one!" Sakura was betting her fortune on the former. She wanted to see if he was really obsessed over purple as he appeared to be, just for her amusement, even though both were technically his.

"Is that really necessary?" Itachi supplied with hints of scepticism. _Those reminded me of Orchimaru's right-hand man…_

"Come on, do you want your failing eyesight to take a turn for the worse?" Sakura steered on, unable to resist the whiff of the curry any longer.

Itachi once again grudgingly accepted another one of Sakura's gifts, and was taken aback by its feathery weight. He gingerly put it on, unaccustomed to the additional weight resting on the bridge of his defined nose.

"I'm surprised that you picked the blue one… Boy, don't they look fabulous on you!" Sakura knew by hunch that it would flatter Itachi, but it totally lifted him to a different calibre. He was _gorgeous_. The thick rim only served to draw attention to his feline eyes and complemented with his seductive charcoal orbs. It also captured the reserved side of him with a touch of a modern edge.

Itachi made no response to her torrent of praises, clearly unconvinced by how such a nerdy accessory could appear remotely _flattering _on anyone. However, one thing was certain.

He was never taking them off again.

* * *

Night time was coming to an end, but due to Itachi's lifestyle back at his era, he had more or less become a night owl, and sleep was definitely the last thing on his mind. After plucking up the courage to test out the button-controlled shower head, he was relieved to find that it was extremely user-friendly, with Kranji texts and all. It even fired off lukewarm water, which was akin to a good massage at a pricey massage parlour. Slipping back on his lavender attire (his new clothes were still in the laundry), he walked out to find a sleeping Sakura, also freshly showered, sitting on the black sofa.

"Sakura, wake up," Itachi gently nudged her right arm, but she was out like a light. Back home, he would not think twice to wake Kisame up, with their status as fugitives and the series of demanding missions, regardless of their burning fatigue. Here, he was just a normal guy, having a sojourn (albeit an unplanned one) at a girl's apartment. There was no longer a need for urgency and a constant sense of alertness of his surroundings.

His eyes roved over her relaxed body, completely vulnerable and at ease. When was the last instance he had witnessed such a carefree attitude? He vaguely recalled Sasuke when he was young, with his petite built and a bed of dishevelled raven hair sleeping on his bed back at home. He had a nightmare, and in an attempt to pacify his howling wails, offered to share his bed. He was immediately out cold when he lay on Itachi's bed. That fragment of memory brought a smile to his usually impassive face.

However, the short-lived smile was immediately replaced by another thought. When was the last time he had led his guard down like this, since that bloody night, where he could only sleep within the murky bases of the Akatsuki?

Itachi carefully picked up Sakura, and made his way to her bedroom. Summoning up all his ninja's worth of concentration, he was able to evade eye contact with her distracting posters of _Kanae_ Itachi. He daintily laid her down on the bed, and pulled over the soft blanket to prevent her from catching a cold.

He went over to the window, and drew the curtains shut to cut off the biting wind from paying them an unexpected visit, before slipping soundlessly into the make-shift cocoon beside her bed.

There he laid conscious the whole night, accompanied by the soft and soothing sound of her even breathing.


	4. Kizuna High School

**Chapter3 Recall:**

Sakura had a chat with Itachi which led to the shocking discovery of where he came from, and somehow led to an impromptu shopping trip; a glimpse into Itachi's past, introduction of Lee and Shizune and a gift for Itachi.

* * *

**Chapter4 – Kizuna High School**

_**Monday morning**_

Sakura opened her eyes to the faint scent of woods and green tea, feeling slightly disoriented. She rolled over to the bedside table and saw that it was not only six in the morning, but it was also time for school. Causally stretching her body like a cat after a siesta, she came into a sitting position, only to find Itachi bundled in her thinly layered sleeping bag. She felt befuddled by the situation; knowing herself, she would never allow her guest, much less a carbon copy of her beloved idol, to sleep in discomfort over at her apartment.

"What happened last night…?" Sakura wondered groggily out loud.

"You're up early," came Itachi's smooth voice from the floor, causing her to snap out of her hazy state. She thought that she was used to his presence by now; apparently waking up to a sleeping hunk beside her (bed) took more time than expected.

"Itachi-san? _You're_ up early," Sakura replied by hurling back his words to him, mildly surprised that he was awoke. Judging from the clarity of his words, he was conscious for quite some time.

"This is the longest I have rested since… Months." Between travelling to various lands to capture the Jinchuuri and running petty missions for Pein, sleep was a luxury that Itachi could not afford. It was not something that Sakura could easily relate to, seeing how bewilderment and perplexity were written all over her face. _She is so easy to read, that I am starting to be worried for her_, Itachi thought.

On the other hand, Sakura felt sympathy stirring in her stomach; she realised that the title of a ninja was not something to be taken lightly; the perks of their distinct abilities came with a hidden price tag of sacrificed sleeps and battered souls. When you gained something, you lost something; that is the balance of the universe, regardless of which world.

"Then you should sleep more, since you finally have no more missions," Sakura was overcome with bless for not being born in the era of ninja. She belonged to the group of people who held the strong belief that sleep was not overrated; it was the essence to sustain a healthy body and mind, therefore increasing productivity in one's daily goings.

Sakura kicked off her blanket and she proceeded with her morning routine. Once again, she was greeted with breakfast on standby – an empty porcelain bowl accompanied by a jumbo packet of cereals and an unfilled glass. Her eyes lingered on the set-up with an appreciative grin for a few seconds, not even realising that she had cereals in her food stash. She briefly worried if she was collecting a pile of expired goods at the back of her cardboard, and made a mental note to do a kitchen spring cleaning soon.

"I wonder if he's married back in his world," Sakura pondered, seeing how considerate and comfortable he was in the kitchen, as she chewed on to the delicate sweetness of cranberries and crunchy almond interspersed with the cereals. She considered him to be slightly older than herself, but she was uncertain. He had pretty facial features and a healthy complexion that were a stark contrast to the creases under his eyes and a masked intellectuality (based on his manner of speech), both associated with the wise and old. Sakura thought he came across to her as an old man who was stuffed into a youthful vessel, eyes screaming torment at having witnessed too much.

Shortly after her unsuccessful train of thoughts, she was joined by the person in question, who soundlessly sat opposite her for his share of breakfast. She did not even catch him moving passed her!

"You like cereals?" Sakura initiated.

"I am alright with it; they reminded me of home." Itachi offered offhandedly. Sakura flipped her eyes towards him, but his expression was carefully guarded and unreadable. She was not a nosy person by nature, but that caught her attention.

"You must miss them, your family I mean," Sakura delivered, in an exceedingly soft tone, knowing that she was threading on a sensitive and foreign topic.

"I do." Itachi admitted with a forced smile, accompanied by a subtle lugubrious expression etched deep in the eyes that were staring intently at her. She could not begin to speculate the sort of life he was living back in his world.

* * *

"Itachi-san, why were you sleeping in my sleeping bag yesterday?" Sakura asked casually while tying her shoe laces on the steps in front of the entrance.

"You fell asleep on the sofa last night so I carried you to your bed," he explained like it was the most obvious course of action. Sakura's ears perked up upon hearing the word 'carry', causing her to tangle her hands with the shoelace.

"O-oh, is that it? I must be totally beat! Sorry to trouble you, Itachi-san." Despite her rousing embarrassment, the words smoothly rolled off her tongue, and he responded with a 'don't bother about it' nod.

"I'm going to school now, so please stay at home until I return, alright? I do not want you getting lost and not contactable."

"When will you be back?"

"Probably before two, so I will be buying our lunch along the way, so do not under any circumstances, leave this house, okay?" Sakura stressed, as though making a point to a disobedient child, despite their reversed seniority.

"If there's anything-"

"Sakura-san." Itachi gently interrupted.

"Yes?"

"I'm twenty-one, not a kid. I am fully capable of taking care of myself." This was Itachi's polite way of saying, "You are not my mother, and I am obviously older than you, so you can leave now."

"O-oh, okay, I'm leaving then, Itachi-san!" Sakura swung a final energetic wave towards him before entering the lift.

Itachi shut the door with a resounding click, feeling weird. He was always the one leaving home for missions, slipping on his standard ninja sandals before declaring "I'm leaving" to either his Mother or Sasuke. It had been a while since he waved someone off, and it certainly had been a long while since someone expressed genuine concern to his whereabouts, besides that Pein (in the ass) and ninjas going after the bounty on his head, of course.

It felt surprisingly pleasant.

* * *

Of all the buses that would take her to Kizuna High School and of all the vehicular circulations designated for buses, it had to be the one that travelled to The Academy _and_ the central business districts. To add misery to despair, she was also the only one from her circle of friends to take Bus 184, so besides bearing the inevitable invasion of privacy and being corralled into standing like a stick (as though she wasn't flat chested enough), she had to experience all these _alone_.

"Oh no, I left my phone by the power socket!" Sakura mentally cursed herself for behaving like a klutz – first it was falling asleep spontaneously like a pig and having her guest feeling obliged to carry her hefty body onto _his _designated bed, then there was her phone and there was the teeming bus steering into her bus stop. _Well, it's not like I can use them on the bus, _she thought with boiling acrimony.

She could barely breathe against the wafts of excessive perfumes and body odour, much less fit among the sea of suit, ties, bandage skirts and no-nonsense stilettos. She recited her usual mantra, "I'm saving the Earth with this little sacrifice, I really am," but it little to assuage her plight or curb her rising concern at the persistent grinding sensation along her right profile. She dared a glance up and realised it was coming from a mid-twenties' wondering hand. _What a jerk._

There came a timely jerk of the bus to a stop, causing her to succumb to the undeniable force of inertia, and entering a half-embrace of a pair of pale, strong arms to her left.

"You okay?" At the vibrating sensation reverberating through her body, she stiffened and launched herself off the secure grip of the cutest red-head she had come across since Sasori-senpai. The furthest she could get was as far as a flinch of her arms; the mysterious guy instinctively drew her closer towards the edge of the standing platform, and into the depths of his protective grasp and palpable warmth.

"Y-yes? Why are you…?" Sakura trailed off, her intonation clearing translating her rousing quandary. She tilted her head back and was instantly lured by his husky voice and distinctive features. He had framed his turquoise eyes with thick rings of black liner that brought upon an ethereal and enticing quality about him.

"I've noticed that guy's inappropriate behaviour next to you," he explained with apparent distaste to the uncivilised conduct, which immediately shredded light into his unanticipated actions. She dared a peek at the insolent bastard, who shied away upon making eye contact with the redhead's malicious death stare. _What a craven_. She lightly patted his firm grip around her arms in gratitude.

"Thank you." His selfless act of chivalry tugged at her soft spot for Gentlemen, igniting a sense of long forged bond, unburied after decades of lost memories.

"You need to be more careful." Her trance was broken by the bobbing of his Adam's apple, and she quickly stifled the urge to brush her fingers against the protrusion. Her eyes skipped passed his exposed collarbone, lingering for a second too long, before noticing her school's standard navy blue school tie and emblem sewed on his breast pocket.

"You're from Kizuna High?" She did not recall seeing such a cutie roaming the school ground, much less one with thrice the eyeliner as she had around the eyes.

"Y-yes, I just came to Konoha not long ago," his voice quivered for a second, taken aback by the sudden limelight on him. _How cute_. It was unusual for a new student to turn up at the perk of term two and she was brimming with questions. However, to avoid tramping over the unwritten line between concerned and prying, she forcefully quelled her snooping mind.

"Ahh, is this your first day? I could bring you around if you don't mind," she offered, the unexpected amount of courage coming from nowhere. His turquoise orbs twinkled with relief and appreciation at the unspoken request, the invisible barrier between two strangers gradually breaking down to reveal the start of a friendship.

"Oh! I'm Haruno Sakura," mildly embarrassed by the late introduction. He meekly nodded.

"Gaara."

* * *

"Sakura! Who's that hot stuff who you just escorted into our class?" Ino hissed before she had a chance to catch a breather. It was probably the most intense trip she had taken from the school bus stop to her classroom on the third floor. The ineluctable glances and hushed whispers did not sit well with her tendency for obscurity and innate need for discretion, despite the irony of her gaudy hair colour. Gaara remained moderately composed throughout their journey, carrying a quiet air of confidence with him. Sakura was jealous.

"Can you don't be so loud? He's just seated next to me!" She sibilated with enough volume to be only heard by her cronies.

"A-are you okay, Sakura-chan? You look flustered," Hyuuga Hinata, who was seated behind Gaara, inquired with concern.

"Where have you been all this while? I felt that it was easier to get Shino to crack a smile than to have you reply at least one of my messages or phone calls!" At the mention of his name, Aburame Shino's head spun towards their direction with an inquisitive brow raised. Ino patronised him with a simper, before edging forward towards Sakura.

"Never mind that. Quick spill!" Sakura sighed at her best girl's unfaltering curiosity.

"He sort of saved me on the bus-"

"He _what_? What on Earth could go wrong on a _bus_ that requires first-aid?" If Sakura was not on the receiving end of her bombardment, she would have escalated into a cackle at Ino's comical facial expression.

"There was no first-aid, Ino... He just shielded me from a roving hand," Sakura went on shyly. Ino's eyes nearly jumped out of her socket, presumably to be equally impressed by the gallant act. Their question and answer session reached an anti-climax by the arrival of their homeroom teacher, Sarutobi Asuma.

"Good morning, the future of Konoha. How about submitting last Friday's essay before your dog eats them up?" Asuma joked affably.

"Hey sensei! Akamaru really did eat my last week's essay! Why won't you believe me?" Inuzuka Kiba pleaded with dog eyes.

"This is so troublesome…" This was the default reaction from Nara Shikamaru, as he submitted his ten page worth of wisdom, one of his rare show cases of dedication to homework, or anything at all. Asuma nodded appreciatively and gave Shikamaru an encouraging tap on his shoulder.

"Asuma-sensei, your homework is so dry!" Ino lamented, following in line after Shikamaru. The class murmured their agreement. However, the lack of enthusiasm only served to elicit a hearty guffaw from him, which explained his position as a homeroom teacher. He was probably the only person who could supervise a whiny class of teenagers without taking anything to heart, while retaining an everlasting passion to his job and an unwavering compassion for his students. As he did a quick swipe across the class, his eyes landed on Gaara, and nodded subtly at him.

"Class, for the start of this new week, we have a new student who came from the state of the Sand. Let us welcome him; fresh face, come on forward!" Asuma beckoned him with an encouraging wave of his tanned arm.

"Hello everyone, I am Gaara, please to meet you all." Gaara proceeded to give a solemn bow, his facial expressions looking anything but pleased. Sakura secretly wondered if he was suffering from first day jitters. Asuma nodded in satisfaction and welcomed him with a solid slap on his back.

On the way back to his seat, Sakura swore she could detect a slight flush on his otherwise composed face. The sudden arrival of a guy, especially one with his noteworthy features (namely, his extreme use of eyeliner) and unconventional charisma sparked a heated discussion among the charming ladies of Konoha. The guys were less shaken by his appearance – while some were observing him with varying degrees of intrigued expressions, most had already lost interest and were caught up in their own state of affairs.

Asuma noticed that despite the commotion over his weekend work and the enigmatic new kid, it was still a tad too quiet for Class 3A-01. He briefly did a head count, before his mental calculations were interrupted by a series of hurried footsteps along the corridor.

The class door slide open with a thunderous thump, and Uzumaki Naruto came pouring into the class, drenched in sweat and looking sheepish, panting slightly. Sakura did a mental slap, already predicting that he was going to come up with something lame, like being chased by an animal…

"Sorry Asuma-sensei I'm late! I was walking to school when a dog started chasing me… And I have to run for twenty minutes before it lost track of me!" Naruto declared loudly while scratching absently at his head. The class erupted into a choir of laughter, while Asuma gave an inward sigh and waved him to his seat, with no qualms that his story was no make-believe. This was Naruto we were talking about, after all.

"So why would a dog start chasing you all of a sudden?" Asuma was uncertain that he wanted to hear his answer.

"Well... I was kind of making funny faces at it because it looked so lonely sitting by the electric pole... Sensei, you lied! Kindness does not beget kindness!" Naruto huffed in displeasure.

"I wouldn't exactly call that an act of kindness, Naruto…" Asuma replied, while struggling to maintain a straight face.

"You disturbed the dog. You should have seen that coming, loser," Kanae Sasuke quipped from the front seats. Naruto shot an evil eye at the unwelcomed commentator, and they were instantly locked in a death stare of the decade.

Sakura was shaking her head in disbelief at the uproar caused by Naruto's rowdiness, and grinned apologetically at Gaara.

"That's Uzumaki Naruto for you, always in for mayhem, anytime of the day." Gaara shook his head to counter-argue her statement.

"Even though it may feel annoying, but I do not mind… The liveliness of the class, it's nice." Needless to say, Sakura was surprised by the unforeseen response. Behind them, Ino and Hinata were equally involved in their conversation, casting their reactions to another in the form of mouthed oohs and ahhs.

This was a start of a perfectly normal morning in Kizuna High Class 3A-01, with nothing short of trouble and craziness.

* * *

_The Uchiha clan must be seriously mad at me, sending me here as a form of joke._

Given his usually hectic schedule, Itachi was not one to take rest days for granted. However, he had never felt so u_noccupied_, a concept that was entirely foreign to him. On his days off after a series of tedious missions, he would either look for Uchiha Shisui, his close confidante and dear cousin to hang out, or use the ample free time to polish up his already impenetrable defence of attacks. Occasionally, he would offer to train with Sasuke after his countless pleadings, and he would never fail to be amused at the way he would light up like a bulb. He was especially weak against his puppy eyes – just imagining it on the now matured Sasuke put a smile to his face.

_I pray that the elders of Konoha will go easy on him._

As he was gazing lovingly at the lush extravagance of green stretching on infinitely against the celestial backdrop, which also occupied the entire land behind Sakura's apartment, he recalled the day he sensed Naruto's chakra in the forest, and was hit with an immerse sense of relief at his decision to leave Shisui's eye with him. It was probably one of the only things he felt he did right in his entire existence.

After a series of failed attempt at boondoggling, he decided to retreat into a mindless state of emptiness; he sat on the cool timber ground in Sakura's room, located the North direction, and mediated.

* * *

"I wonder what he's doing at home…"

"Did you say something, Sakura?" Ino asked.

"W-what? No! Man, I'm so hungry… I'm going to grab some lunch home!" Sakura quickly added on to distract Ino.

"D-do you want us to come with you, Sakura-chan?" Hinata, the ever kind soul, offered shyly.

"Hinata, that's a great suggestion! Didn't you say Naruto just painted your living room? I've wanting to see it for so long and there's also this guy-"

"NO! Gah- I mean, i-it's alright guys I wanted to go home, have lunch and read up on my medical studies… I've got an entrance test coming up soon you see," Sakura fired off in one shot. Technically, she was not lying; she did enrol for Konoha Hospital's annual entrance level examination to be qualified as the hospital's official staff. With her current status as a part-time assistant, she was excluded from many complicated operations and administrations beyond the realm of basic first aid. However, should she pass her exam, she would be promoted to a Nurse, where she would be attached to a specific department every year to learn the ropes and be better prepared for her next goal.

You see, her goals did not stop at being a Missy; for her dream to be enlisted as an official Doctor, she would need to pass her school's affiliated University's Medical course to achieve a doctoral degree, before she was qualified to take the hospital's higher entrance level examinations and fulfil her dream.

For this goal, she had been cramming up medical books and slogging herself away in either the school's library or her room. It was not just for her entrance test, but in order to hit the top five percentile of her high school to attain a scholarship, since she did not have the means to enrol in the University.

Smiling contritely at her crestfallen friends, she bid them farewell and headed out of the school gates. They followed the movement of her retreating back, noting the spring in her usually laden steps, and felt sadly relieved for her.

"Our dear Sakura… By burying herself among the mountain of books, she was able to suppress the painful memories of her parent's death," Ino muttered to a nodding Hinata.

"A-as long as she has a goal, she won't lose hope for life, and we can help her," Hinata replied with a growing smile, overwhelmed with ease that her other dearest buddy was coming out of her shelf of bereavement.

_He _had to pick this untimely moment to ruin the ladies' peaceful mood.

"Hey hey! Sorry for the wait! I had to stay back to clean up the class as a punishment by Asuma-sensei… Hey, where's Sakura-chan? She said she wanted to treat me to ramen!" Naruto exclaimed, oblivious to the ticking nerve of Ino.

"Naruto… Sasuke-kun is right; you _are_ annoying. Let's go grab some sushi, Hinata!" Ino dragged an apologetic Hinata away, leaving a clueless Naruto chasing in their wake.

* * *

"Two takeaways for miso ramen, Tenuichi-san!" Flashing Sakura a thumbs-up, Konoha's ramen master began to work his magic. For some peculiar reason, she felt a rising compunction for abandoning Itachi alone in her apartment. She was certain that her library of medical textbooks and cook books fell short on the entertainment department, especially so for a full-time ninja like him.

_Thank goodness I managed to get away. Should they discover that I have another guy staying in my apartment… _

"There you go, Sakura-chan! The second one's on the house! It's your birthday month special," Tenuichi announced, and she was shocked that the ramen chef remembered his one of a million's customer's birthday; she was not even a regular!

"Buying for Naruto?"

"Er, no, it's for... My house butler." Sakura was not exactly lying, as she felt the word 'friend' did not feel right coming out of her mouth. Tenuichi appeared visibly startled by the information, and Sakura left before he could dig around further. Again, she felt guilt-ridden to label him in such a manner. _It was akin to calling Kanae Itachi my domestic servant! _As she brisk past the row of delicacies stores, she made up her mind to make up to him, praying that he had a soft spot to sweet things.

* * *

He sensed her presence the moment she stepped out of the lift.

"I'm home! Itachi-san, are you there?" Itachi was meditating in Sakura's room, and it bothered him that Sakura sounded like she was addressing her domestic cat.

Sakura drew in a sharp breath when Itachi stepped into the living room; he was wearing a modest grey berms coupled with the plain black shirt that they bought yesterday. Despite its loose fit, it brought a healthy contrast to his pale complexion. There was also the causal swing of his ponytail, which made her touched her short hair self-consciously. His carelessness and brooding expression only served to heighten his seductive aura. He was a beauty of his own class.

"You're so pretty that my eyes hurt," Sakura uttered, starry-eye.

"I'm sorry?"

Sakura could not believe herself; she had mistaken him as her beloved idol again, despite the lucid knowledge that he was on a world tour and had no business in her house.

"Y-you must be famished; as promised here's the long-awaited lunch, Itachi-san!" Itachi nodded and wordlessly took over the bags from her while Sakura went to refresh herself. She was looking forward to spending some time with Itachi, since she barely knew anything about him after all. She was also dying to know what he did to pass time.

"So… What did you do while I was away?" Sakura dived in before he even had a first sip of his miso soup.

"Nothing much. How was school, Sakura-san?" Even though it felt like an obligatory question on his part, she was certain that she detected a hint of genuine solicitous underneath his impassive façade.

"It was chaotic – one of my classmates, his name's Naruto, claimed that he was late because he got chased by a dog on the way to school! I think I felt ten times more embarrassed than he did…"

"Naruto huh."

"Yes, Naruto. As in that kamaboko (fish cake) in between your chopsticks now, such a cute name eh?" Sakura explained, mistaking his interest of Naruto for his unique name. Itachi recalled the time when he had a run in with Naruto and Kakashi. He was so impulsive and brimming with hatred, no doubt for the physical (and emotional) scar that he left on Sasuke, his eyes screaming revenge and loyalty towards his dear comrade as he dashed towards him. With this recklessness, he had no trouble imagining him provoking the most innocuous dog on the street. That was Naruto. Itachi's eye shone with fondness and mirthfulness at the inherited trait from his past.

Sakura was silently observing Itachi as she sipped her ramen soup, uncertain whether he was looking pleased with the Ichiraku ramen or with her short and silly recount of the day. Regardless of which, he appeared to be enjoying her company, which pleased her greatly.

Just then, she recalled the bag of treats in her school sling bag, and hastily retrieved it out. With a hand extended in front of an unknowing Itachi, he calmly reached inside the paper bag and felt three wooden sticks, before pulling them out. Sakura watched as he looked fixedly at the colourful sticks of dango, puzzled by his balk at eating it.

"Is anything the matter, Itachi-san? Do you dislike sweet things?" Sakura quizzed him worriedly. Itachi snapped out of his reverie and shook his head, quickly composing his facial expression.

"I don't dislike them, thank you, Sakura-san." She continued watching as he swallowed two of the dangos, noting the glim in his charcoal orbs. As though sensing her eyes, he looked up and locked his gaze with her, and _smiled_. It was unlike any of those obligatory or accommodating smiles he used before, but a bona fide grin. Sakura thought she would faint there and then. Who knew that it only took a stick of dango to cheer a gloomy person up?

"It still tastes the same…" It was barely perceptible, but she caught his last few words.

"Really? How does it taste like?" Itachi closed his eyes, carried away by the feeling of nostalgia and felicity that hit him with every delicate chew of the soft luscious dangos.

"It tastes like home."

* * *

After the satisfying lunch and clearing up of the dining table, Sakura retreated into her room for her entrance examination revisions. It was not just to honour her words to her friends; she _did _have a ton left to cover.

Itachi settled on the floor by the bed leg, slightly restless after the big bowl of ramen and unexpected taste of his childhood snack, feeling too free. He wanted to ask Sakura about the forest behind the apartment, but she seemed absorbed in her thick hardcover, flipping the pages slowly and pausing at each page for long stretches of moments.

Sakura was flipping the pages not because she had finished reading the contents; on the contrary, nothing was going into her head. How could anything register in the company of her idol's splitting image, who was also watching her back, literally, as she pretended to study?

She decided that was enough.

"Ne, Itachi-san, I suppose you like to read books? I am heading over to the library now, you want to come?" She figured that it was better to engage him elsewhere, anywhere but her back. To her immerse relief, he agreed.

* * *

_**Tuesday morning**_

_Hmmm… What time is it now…_

"It's seven in the morning." Sakura opened her eyes to a statuesque body lying on her bed, with one arm supporting his head, who was observing her with mild interest. For one horrifying moment she pictured that she was drugged and kidnapped by an extremely hot pathological killer. That irrational and somewhat flattering thought was scrapped the instant she became in tuned to the reality.

"It's what? SEVEN?! Oh dear I'm late for school!" Scrambling out of her sleeping bag and nearly slipping on it, she scurried around and fast-forwarded her morning routine, and in between, sparing a few seconds to admire the sumptuous breakfast spread "assembled" by her bedside companion.

_I could really get used to this._

"I'm leaving; help me look after the house ne, Itachi-san!" Sakura burst out while struggling to pull up her knee-high socks quickly without over-stretching it. Itachi was just sauntering out of her room as she yelled a victory cry at her successful attempt.

"Sakura-san-"

"Don't worry I'll buy back lunch for us okay? See you!" Itachi sighed inwardly at not being given a chance to clarify his thoughts. He could make out rapid spamming of the lift button, followed by a distant protest along the lines of "Why's this happening to me?" Smiling ruefully, he felt that he could relate to that statement.

"Why's this happening to me, indeed?"

* * *

Itachi did a quick swipe along the corridor of Sakura's apartment, before focusing his chakra to perform a Body Flicker Technique to swiftly transport him to The Konoha Institution of Books, favourably known as K.I.B. It had been some time since he trained or even summoned his chakra for Ninjutsu, and his body was not responding well to his unused body. Even though it was only a twenty minutes walking distance between her house and the library, Itachi was feeling a slight languor and higher chakra exhaustion from the lack of training. Against Sakura's advice to refrain from using his "otherworldly qualities in the public," he figured it was more desirable for him to travel with haste (strictly speaking, it was still by foot) since he had his doubts about travelling in those long vehicles, or "buses", which stopped every five minutes or less. Itachi himself was a very patient man, but at the rate that it was going (or stopping), not to mention the _horde of sweating bodies_ plastered against one another...

Adjusting his slightly crooked spectacles, still unaccustomed to this additional accessory, Itachi arrived at the back of K.I.B. The three storey high of raw concrete and glass, besides the extremely high ceilings, was chamfered at the left corner of the building, and the entire sloping surface was fixed with tempered glass that optimised natural lighting. That was the first thing that caught his discerning eyes when he accompanied Sakura here the other day, along with the faint array of carvings of the Konoha symbol along the façade of the library.

Hopping from the Golden Trumpet Tree onto one of outdoor balcony on the second storey, he passed by the sliding glass door and entered the library. He was instantly rejuvenated by the air-conditioned building, "one of the perks of modern era," according to Sakura, among the endless list he would encounter in due time. That piqued some of his interest for this alien world.

He made purposeful strides towards the only section that interested him in the entire building – Section 230- History. He was tempted to activate his Sharingan to facilitate his research, but unfortunately, he was not the only occupant of the section. There were a few students lounging on the arm sofas by the large window, immersed in their literature, an assiduous librarian shelving returned books and a wondering toddler who appeared to be in distress, presumably separated from his parents. He could also make out a couple's muffled giggles drifting from a few shelves ahead, at the Geography section. The irony of the situation - they apparently had the geography of their location terribly mixed up with their bedroom.

Itachi sailed past the irrelevant shelves and stopped short in front of a wooden placard with the word 'Konoha' carved across it. _Is this _it?

He dragged his hands over the rows of crinkled and yellowed covers, gripped by hesitation. Suddenly, Itachi was uncertain about proceeding. _What if I… _Shaking off the irrational aversion, he slipped out a navy blue paperback titled "The Hidden Village of Konoha" and began perusing through the Kranji texts written in calligraphy. It talked about Konoha's economic and military stand within The Five Great Shinobi Nations, a brief coverage of the Hokages and their influence on Konoha's growth and a quick report on the First to Third Shinobi World Wars and their devastating effects on the village. It basically mapped out the major events of olden Konoha in chronological order, and the entry stopped at Tsunade's election as the Fifth Hokage. There were no records of the Uchiha massacre.

Towards the end of the paperback, was an entry titled 'Noble clans of Konoha,' and sure enough, next to the Senju clan symbol the red and white fan symbol was gazing proudly at him. Skimming the footnote, his eyes caught some interesting information.

… _They help found the Konoha Military Police Corps, establishing a stable and secure land for living. However, the entire clan, along with a grave number of elite shinobis of Konoha, was wiped out during an invasion of an 'ally' country. For their sacrifice, the Hidden Village of Konoha was able to strive on in prosperity, and they were thus deeply revered and forever remembered as the 'Great saviour of Konoha.'_

He did not remember his clan fighting off any 'ally' country, nor was it mentioned in the Uchiha archives. Rather, he thought that his clan was the 'ally' and he was the one who did the 'wiping out.' He flipped through several more books dated back to his era, only to encounter more facsimiles of what he just read.

_Should I be bowing in gratitude that the elders were bothered enough by the truth, to the extent of altering the history?_ At that thought, he could no longer subdue the doleful smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"History… They don't always speak of truth, don't you think?" Itachi cocked his head to his left, where a girl, seemingly around his age asked him, since they were the only people lingering at this aisle. Normally, he would pay no mind to such passing comment, but her tone hinted at an underlying seriousness.

"What makes you say so?" He enquired with an indifferent tone.

"Look at these papers… They may appear to have aged with time, but the truth is, they were ersatz, made to be believed, meant to be deceiving," The mysterious girl continued. Her refine and demure demeanour was in stark contrast to her ceil blue hair and the eye-catching rose hairband, and her black jumpsuit only served to make her porcelain skin stood out. She, Itachi observed, also held vague resemblance to Konan from the Akatsuki.

Itachi smoothed his equally pale hands over the yellowing pages, infusing the page with some of his chakra. To his astonishment, the stain marks and crinkles melted off to reveal a blemish-free, white sheet of new paper, with the calligraphies intact.

He swivelled his head back up, but the lady was nowhere in sight.

* * *

_Here he comes! Now is my chance…_

"G-good morning, Sasuke-kun!" When she saw Sasuke entered the male washroom next to their classroom, she automatically rewind her rapid steps and loitered by the corridor, waiting for the right moment to spring onto him to strike a causal conversation. Though it felt like a perverted act, Sakura was able to convince herself that she was merely "giving her best, chasing for her happiness."

"Good morning." Sasuke replied, nodding in her direction. Sakura kind of liked that, a man of few words. Men who prated on would more likely turn her off, since they were either babbling on about themselves or generally too chatty for their own good.

"I heard there's a new sensei for our Geography class; hopefully he or she would be a little less fierce than Anko-sensei…" Mitarashi Anko, who had just been promoted as Kizuna University's Geography lecturer, was a bloodthirsty and unforgiving teacher. The other time when Naruto had fallen asleep during one of her intense classes, she expressed her female brutality by having him to take over her subsequent lessons of their class for a month.

The passing rate for that month's class test had been ten to thirty.

"That would teach you maggots not to sleep in my class!" Sakura shuddered at that horrific memory.

Sasuke responded to her remark with an inarticulate grunt. "Anybody would easily be less fierce than that snake of a woman." Sakura nearly fainted; she actually managed to engage Sasuke in an actual conversation, instead of the usual one-sided exchange. She released a soft titter to express her similar sentiment.

"I know! But, why did you compare her to a snake? Wouldn't tiger be a more fitting metaphor?"

"Hn, because you'll never know when she would sneak up on you with a vicious bite in toll. At least a tiger would growl before it attacks." Sakura was unsure how to respond to that; she did a double-take to be certain she had chatted up the _right _Sasuke. While it did feel satisfying, she could not stop the nagging sensation that his exceptionally pleasant mood had got to do with more than the replacement of Anko-sensei.

"Sasuke-kun, do you mind if I ask… Did something good happen this morning? You seem to be in a good mood." Sakura prayed to the clouds that he would not misinterpret her words as an implication to him being a usually sulky person, regardless of whether if that was the case (which it was).

Since he was seated in front, they were currently holding the conversation by his table. Sasuke was just hanging his bag by the tableside when she asked, and he froze by the unexpected question. He was about to respond when they, along with the rest of the chatters of the classmates, were interrupted by the languid and unhurried steps of a tall stranger, into their class.

The class descended into a unified silence, and Sakura made her way to her seat, equally curious by the stranger's appearance. Sakura rolled her eyes over at Gaara – when she thought that Gaara was the most memorable person (in the good way), this stranger had effectively kicked him out of his position.

A bed of spiky ash grey hair, a defined set of jaw hidden beneath a mask extending from his sleeveless tight black top, and his built physique, were nothing short of remarkable. Sakura felt a desperate tap on her shoulder.

"Sakura, looks like this class is finally going to get _interesting," _Ino hissed into Sakura's ear, and Sakura turned to share a look of agreement with the duo behind her.

"Ahh, sorry I'm late; not quite a good way to make a first impression, eh?" The handsome man started, while rubbing his hair sheepishly. Apparently, the ladies of Konoha dissented.

"By any chance, are you our new sensei for Geography?" A girl enquired, while the rest of the class broke into murmurings at the possibility.

"Well, that's what it says on my timetable – 8:00- 9:00 A.M.: Geography class at Class 3A-01. My name is Hatake Kakashi, please to meet you all!" At his confirmation, the class promptly broke into a rapturous cheer, mixed with squeals of delight by the girls and grunts of approval at the buff-ness of the new teacher.

"Ho, I didn't know Geography was such a well-liked subject among the final year students!" The clueless Kakashi chipped in chirpily amidst the commotion.

"Kakashi? What are you doing here?" The heads turned towards Sasuke, who was gaping at a grinning Kakashi.

"Ah, Sasuke? Sorry, I forgot to mention to you about my substitution for Anko-san. So now, I'll be officially teaching your class."

"That's right – Kakashi is the club advisor for Taijutsu, isn't he?" Ino whispered, while Sakura nodded absentmindedly. Sakura was busy observing Sasuke's facial expression, never registering such shock from his usually cool and collected character. They were currently having some light exchanges, and Sakura gauged that they shared an amiable and close relationship with one another.

"So, it's definitely not because of this that put him in a good mood…" Sakura mumbled.

"Can't hear you, Sakura!" She responded with a frantic shake of her head, while she mentally tried to figure the missing puzzle.

* * *

Waving to the security guards, Sakura entered the Haruna Residence, armed with two servings of cha soba (Japanese cold green tea noodles) and a bag of dangos. When she reached the front steps of her apartment, she was surprised to find Itachi's sandals gone. She began to panic.

"Oh dear… Where did he go to?" She laid down her bags and pulled out her phone, before mentally slapping herself in dismay. _Right, he doesn't have a phone._

"Caw!" Sakura nearly dropped her phone at the exceedingly loud cry of the crow, which was perched on the adjacent tree branch to the corridor, partially shrouded by the dark canopy. She did not recall spotting any crows in the courtyard, or was she just inattentive?

"My goodness, is it looking at me? Is it cawing _at me_?" In acknowledgement to her string of doubts, it flew towards her and stopped to rest on the steel railings along the corridor. Sakura took an instinctive step back, before moving tentatively towards it, and was daunted by what she saw.

_The crow bore identical eyes to Itachi; is that even possible? _Sakura pondered on in bafflement. _Or is this crow… His?_

"Caw!" Her attention snapped away from its glowing red orbs to a rolled up note in its mouth. She gingerly reached for it and the instant it was pulled out, its eyes dissolved into specks of dull black, and the energetic crow flapped away, not once looking back. With her slightly trembling hands, she unrolled the note.

_Sakura_

_I am at K.I.B., and won't be back so soon. Have lunch without me._

_Itachi._

_P.S.: I wanted to inform you this morning that I took your library card, but you left in haste. It is in my possession now._

Sakura groped for her purse and true enough, her library card was missing from its usual slot.

"Well, at least this time I know where he is... But the crow and the notes… It's the technology era for goodness sake!" Grinning fondly at his second handwritten note, she quickly refolded it and tucked it into her purse.


	5. The Perks of Being a Ninja

**Chapter4 Recall:**

The introduction of a new setting – Kizuna High School, where Sakura and friends were currently studying at; more character introductions, a delectable lunch with Itachi, a visit to the library, and a ninjutsu that scared the daylights out of Sakura.

* * *

**Chapter5 – The Perks of Being a Ninja**

_**Wednesday**_

"So… I'm going to divide everyone into groups of three based on each of your strengths to complement one another, so every team is fair," Kakashi drawled, as his lidded-eye expertly scanned the class to gauge the reactions.

"Sakura-chan! Let us be in the same group! With my awesome brain we'll sure top the class!" Naruto shouted across the class, with Sakura smiling tightly and waving him back down onto his seat. Kakashi's eyes crinkled in amusement at his perkiness.

"Baka, didn't you hear Kakashi-sensei's words? _He _gets to choose, not _you_," Sasuke retorted, instigating Naruto to be back on his feet again.

"What did you say? You better not be in my group, Sasuke-teme!"

"Hn." Naruto growled before settling back down, arms crossed while maintaining a nasty scowl in Sasuke's direction.

From Kakashi's perspective, it would seem as though they were having a lover's bicker, based on their publicly loud verbal exchange. However, knowing Sasuke for a while now, he knew he was definitely straight, and downright dense, or perhaps just _unacquainted _when it came to affairs of the heart. During their Taijutsu training, he did not bat an eyelash to the onslaught of girls who came to admire and support him after school. He even once asked Kakashi if they were here to sign up for their Taijutsu club, and that was the only time Sasuke managed to land a direct hit on his chest.

"Hai, hai. First up, for the team covering the mountains and hills, we have…"

"Lastly, for the team researching on primary and secondary forests, we have Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto and Kanae Sasuke."

_Shannaro! Finally a valid excuse to get close up with Sasuke! _Sakura fist-pumped discreetly beneath her desk, eyed lovingly at Sasuke, and silently thanked the clouds.

_Naruto? You've got to be kidding me… _Sasuke sighed in resignation and silently cursed Kakashi for even thinking about putting them in the same group. His eyes briefly caught Kakashi's, and he grinned merrily, or appeared to be (with half of his face hidden by the mask and all), with eyes squirting into downturn crescents. Sasuke scowled in return.

_Hooray, I'm with Sakura-chan! But…_

"Kakashi-sensei! Why does an outstanding student like me have to be grouped with that bum?" Naruto protested as he directed an indignant finger at Sasuke's direction vehemently. Kakashi cocked his head thoughtfully.

"Hmmm, the last time I checked, Sasuke was the top student in the third year batch, while you… Uzumaki Naruto? You were the last… We have to complement your strengths and weakness yea?" Kakashi concluded sanguinely, none of his optimism reaching Naruto.

* * *

"Sakura! Isn't this a dream turned reality for you? You can finally gawp openly at Sasuke-kun, maybe even snag a kiss or two!" Ino clapped on excitedly as their class ended, where the trio were holding a discussion over their respective teams. Sakura blushed, while trying to shush Ino, thankful for the nearly emptied classroom.

"W-well, that's true… I mean of course we aren't going to k-kiss! H-hey, Hinata is grouped with Kiba and Gaara, isn't that cool?" Sakura side-tracked, swiftly shifting the conversation to the suddenly stiff Hinata.

"Umm, which part of that grouping is _cool_? Sure, Gaara-kun is kind of cute, in his emo-ish way, but he's way too reserved! Now, let's not even begin with Kiba… A word for him – 'beyond hope,'" Ino concluded, accompanied with a dramatic sigh and a consoling tap on Hinata's shoulder.

"I-Ino, that's two words… And I'm sure I'll be fine. Both Gaara-kun and Kiba-kun look like nice people…" Hinata attempted to defend her new teammates, with Ino clearly buying none of it.

"Ino, yours aren't too bad, either! You've got a genius on your team! Think about all the possibilities!" Sakura burst out, while the light in Ino's eyes visibly dimmed a few luxes.

"Oh, why are we even discussing about _my _group? Sakura, you're right – Shikamaru is a genius, in sleeping, and Chouji? The only redeeming thing about him is that should we get lost on, say, Mount Haruna, we would have no worries about starving to death…" Ino lamented. The ladies escalated into hearty cackles, as they made their way out of the classroom, on the way to the long-awaited lunch.

"Hey ladies, it's been a while since we dined at the U's cafeteria. Shall we make an exception and head over to 'celebrate' our newfound teammates?" Ino suggested, swerving her cerulean orbs between the girls for opinions. They nodded their agreement. Why not, right?

* * *

Kizuna University, situated on top of a gentle hill next to Kizuna High School, was a school of affiliation which granted access for staffs and students from its sister institution. Due to the lack of qualified teachers, there would occasionally be combined classes for general and compulsory subjects like Social Etiquettes and Physical Education, and major school events like Sports Day and Dinner and Dance would also be a joint event, advocating the school's name and its mission – "Forged bonds, Unbreakable connections." Talk about corny.

"Ino, don't think I have no idea what's beneath the blonde hair of yours… You want to see _him_, am I right?" Sakura teased and nudged playfully at an innocent-looking Ino.

"W-what are you talking about? I've long forgotten about him; how many times must I repeat that?" Though Ino might appear miffed, there was no escaping the look of affliction that has replaced the earlier glint in her eyes. Hinata ran a soothing hand over her back. Sakura immediately felt guilty for reopening her fresh wound.

"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, Ino. You have two people behind your back, remember that." Watching Ino being vulnerable triggered something in Sakura; she was used to be on the receiving end of her consolations, that she forgot that even a hot-blooded girl like Ino might be feigning a brave front for the sake of her friends.

"H-here we are!" The University's cafeteria, located under the Hall beside the picturesque landscape of rolling hills and carpets of green, was designed like a cottage – the food vendors were stationed behind walls of red brick with a mock pitched-roof overhang, the store name painted over the flat surface. Unlike the usual canteen with the bare essentials (metal table and benches, with minimal effort in design), they opted for timber furniture with low hedges of perennial shrubs surrounding the cafeteria, as though sheltered in the bosom of nature. Hanging from the ceiling were assorted bulbs strung on black wire in favour of florescent lights, along with hanging glass spheres of air plants.

"It's been so long since we came that I forgot they have such awesome view here!" Sakura exclaimed, nodding appreciatively at the details paid to the design.

"Yes Sakura, the _view_ here is a class of its own," Ino growled in a low voice, licking her lips, clearly on a different page with Sakura. Sakura followed her gallivanting eyes towards the row of male seniors seated on the timber benches; each one looking hotter than the previous, if that was possible. The appreciation session came to a recess at the protesting growl of Hinata's stomach, causing her to blush furiously. Oh Hinata.

"Oh, go on girls I'll help find us a _decent_ seat. Sakura, get me the usual thanks." Before Sakura could even ask Ino what 'the usual' was, she was already lost among the sea of pretty faces and tall silhouettes. Hinata motioned to the bento station and made her way to join the long queue. Sakura felt abandoned, but the short-lived notion was interrupted by her own growling stomach.

Picking the store based on the length of its queue, she skidded over to the western store (the one with the shortest queue). Although there were only three people in front of her, the queue progress was rather stagnant. Checking the counter, she realised that the vendor was engaged in a truffle with a female student.

"I said I want one bowl of mushroom soup, fish and chips with no fries and an additional baked potato!" The student repeated exasperatedly.

"I heard you girl, one bowl of minestrone soup, fish and chips with no rice and one baked potato-"

"No you only got the last order right… And since when does fish and chips comes with _rice_?!" The poor girl argued breathlessly. Observing the scene, Sakura suddenly remembered reading one of those inspiring posters which said," A shortcut may seem to save time, but does it not come with a catch?" She recalled reading that lame maxim and was preaching to Naruto about such hidden 'catch,' and here she was, failing hook, line and sinker. _No wonder nobody buys from here…_

"Women can make such a fuss over small matters, hmm?" Unintentionally overhearing the conversation in front of her, she could not help but begrudgingly agree mentally. Women _did _tend to overreact.

"Oops, I shouldn't be having this conversation with a woman, my bad, hmm." _Hold on_. The lack of response from the other party of the conversation, that annoying yet cute way of talking…

"Dei- Aww watch your hair, dude!" Before she uttered his name, he promptly rotated his body 360 degrees, resulting in his mass of blonde ponytail swinging full-force at Sakura's face.

"Sorry, and it's about time you realised it's me, Sakura-chan, hmm," Deidara quipped.

"Sounds like you haven't changed much," Sakura mumbled, but there was affection in her voice.

"Well, good to see you again too," Deidara paused to stifle his soft laughter before continuing," So what you doing here, hmm?"

"Ino suggested that we skip the high school food and come over here instead…" At the mention of Ino's name, Deidara's carefree and mirthful demeanour turned slightly gloomy, and Sakura mentally kicked herself for her brainlessness. For goodness' sake, and twice in a row!

"Hey sorry Dei-"

"How's she, I mean how's Ino, Sakura-chan?" Deidara beseeched, and Sakura stole a look over at where Ino was seated, where she was eyeing hungrily at the male seniors. The last thing she wanted was to be caught making a civil conservation to her ex.

"She's coping fine, what about you?" Sakura lied. If Ino's earlier reaction was any indication, it was that she was still hung up over their break up.

Before Sakura moved into Haruna Residence, where she was currently residing, she lived with her parents over at one of the terraces along the tranquil Bloomsbury Street. It bloomed with friendly faces and was on high demand for its proximity to cosy cafes and The Academy. Deidara, the adopted boy next door, would occasionally loiter outside Sakura's house, and whenever she came out to talk to him, he would scramble off, leaving only an oak-leaf geranium by her timber gate.

Every week, he would repeat his silent act, not once talking to her. She dared a peek into her neighbour's front yard, and spotted a mass planting of the similar-looking oak-leaf geranium, with several purple flowers missing among its full-bloom.

"Wow, did he plug Kiki baa-chan's flowers for me?" Sakura pondered out loud. She knew how protective Kiki baa-chan was over her plants. "Is he trying to tell me something?"

Curious, she brought the stalk of flower to Ino's flower shop one street down, and asked Mrs Yamanaka what the flower meant, much to the Lady Boss's delight at the kid's interest in flower language.

"Oh, oak-leaf geranium represents 'True friendship," she replied lovingly.

"Mrs Yamanaka, what does that mean?" The innocent Sakura enquired, peering up at the amused lady.

"It means, Sakura-chan, that the person wants to play with you," She explained patiently in a child's language. Bowing her thanks, she tottered off, cradling the flower tenderly in her arms.

The following week, when Deidara was leaving the house to carry out his routine, he nearly stepped on the same flower he was gripping in his small palm, laying outside his gate. Baffled, he carefully picked it up and glanced ahead to see a head of pink peeping at him behind her gate.

"It's for you!" Sakura shouted and quickly jumped behind her gate to hide her creeping blush.

That was the first time they interacted, where a single stalk of flower blossomed into an unbreakable friendship.

"You are switching the subject, Sakura-chan, and you do that when you're nervous... Well, in terms of studies? I'm having a high time, but in terms of my heart? I can't describe…" Deidara declared honestly, one hand grabbing where his heart was, body bending slightly in dramatic agony. Sakura had to give it to him – one moment he was acting all urgent and concerned lover, and in the blink of an eye he was back to his mischievous self. It was no wonder Ino was always threading between love and hate for him, recalling her 'fluctuating' love report.

"Dei, if you still love her, why not just…" Sakura proposed, but was stopped by a firm hand.

"Sakura-chan, you know better than any of us why I broke up with her, so why bother?" Deidara replied and smiled ruefully. Sakura could not understand why two people who were deep in love could not be together; what more for one-sided love? (Re: Sasuke-kun, hash-tagged extremely dense)

"Girl! What do you want?" The touchy vendor barked at Deidara, and Sakura was struggling to contain her giggle at the vendor's address. Deidara heaved a resigned sigh, rolled his eyes at the amused Sakura before turning to face the source of his annoyance.

"For the record, I'm a hundred percent _man_ and could I have a plate of chicken cutlet _please_, hmm," Deidara rattled off with displeasure. Sakura noticed that the vendor was no longer glaring holes at her customer, but had turned all dewy-eye as she was doing an appreciative scan at Deidara. Knowing him since young, it was easy for her to overlook his, _devastating effect _on girls and aunties, as in the case of the western vendor, in at least twenty meters radar.

"Oh boy, you sure look like a girl from the back! Chicken cutlet coming up, _Sir_," the old woman purred coquettishly, making Sakura gagged.

"Oh Dei, this is the only reason Ino was glad for the breakup; girls would finally stop pestering her to be their _girlfriend_," Sakura was barely able to articulate her words before escalating into a torrent of cachinnate, eliciting a scowl from Deidara.

* * *

"Took you long enough, Sakura," Ino said pointedly as she retrieved her plate of 'the usual,' which Sakura assumed to be grilled salmon, being the priciest and healthiest, from her full hands. Sakura could not exactly say that she was catching up with her childhood neighbour slash ex, at least without getting an earful and a death stare. Just this once, she lowered her head in mock repentance and remained mum, even though she was dying to shout "Would you two just patch back, damn it!"

"H-here, have some of these," Hinata offered, and peeled open a lunchbox of tasteful hors d'oeuvres.

"Wow! I didn't know they served French here!" Sakura exclaimed as she helped herself to one serving of the appetiser.

"They don't, it's from Neji nii-san. I saw him just now and he gave this to me," Hinata clarified softly, while two pink spots surfaced on her porcelain face. The ladies were visibly impressed that someone as posh as Neji could cook.

"Oh right, he's a freshman in Kizuna U, what a coincidence to collide with his lunch time!" Sakura recalled.

"It must feel nice, to have a guy pack handmade lunch for you," Ino added offhandedly, and the girls have a distant impression that she was not referring to Neji's lunch box.

"I swear, that guy looks like a shark," Ino hissed as they were biting into their hors d'oeuvres, her eyes focused on the pool of wandering males, not even realising as she bit into the cupcake paper.

"But boy, Neji's cooking sure tastes bland!" That elicited suppressed chuckles from the girls, to a clueless Ino, who continued ogling openly.

* * *

"Hey team, let us start our discussion! But first, what is our topic again?" Naruto asked. Sakura face-palmed and remained perplexed at how Naruto managed to pass his last two years of final examinations. Every Wednesday in Kizuna High, last hour period was allocated as 'Free,' allowing students to focus on subject of their preference. It was a privilege exclusive to the third year students.

"We're doing on ramen…" Sakura mumbled.

"No way! Hey! Sakura-chan don't joke about ramen! They're serious business," Naruto huffed and crossed his arms in indignation. Sakura slanted her eyes towards his, and sure enough his eyes have turned glossy, already fantasising about his miso ramen.

"Baka, only you would prize ramen as high as gold," Sasuke inserted brusquely, looking distractedly at his watch. Both Naruto and Sakura turned to eye him with incredulity.

"S-Sasuke, did you just… Talk to me normally?" Apparently, the thing next to ramen that could shut his mouth was Sasuke engaging him in a decent conversation. Sakura watched on, soaking up in Sasuke's prowess on both the female and male species. Sasuke made a swift glance on his watch again, and began packing his bag, making an abrupt exit from the classroom.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"We'll continue the discussion tomorrow!" Was Sasuke's only reply, conveniently evading the question, before he disappeared along with the sound of his shuffling feet. Sakura followed suit, hoping to catch up to Sasuke so they could leave together. She also planned on surprising Itachi with her early 'homecoming,' since she suspected that they would hardly get anywhere without Sasuke.

"Hey! Where are you going too, Sakura-chan?"

"I'm leaving; I need to go home and prepare for my med exams. I'll make up to you tomorrow!" Waving a pouting Naruto farewell, she made her way to the school gate. Since yesterday, Sasuke had been behaving aberrantly, and she wanted to catch a few words with him to find out the reason why.

Scanning the bleak parade square before the gate, Sasuke was nowhere in sight. _He couldn't have left already!_

"Oh god, that guy is _so_ cute!" Sakura spun around to see two freshmen girls pointing and sending furtive glances ahead of her, speaking in hushed but giggly tones. _Could it be…!_

She followed their eyes towards the gate and noticed a slender guy leaning against one of the white columns, his arms crossed and surveying the sky with a serene look. That guy also happened to be spotting a ponytail, a pair of glasses and clothed in loose fitting clothing. _Itachi-san!_

As though via telepathy, he angled his well-sculpted face towards her. Cocking his head to one side, he smiled. Sakura did an internal squeal, feeling gleeful at his presence. She was impressed that he could find his way to her school.

"Oh god, is he smiling _at us_? I could die now!" The love-struck girls carried on, while Sakura smiled on triumphantly. _It's me that he's smiling at, back off losers!_

It was at this moment that Sasuke brushed past her shoulders, who made a bee-line for the exit, without even a backward glance at her. She wondered what he was in a rush about. Shaking off the slightly hurtful sensation, Sakura began walking towards Itachi.

"Ita-"

"Nii-san!" Sakura stopped dead in her track. _What did he just call him?_

"Sasuke." Sasuke dove joyously into Kanae Itachi's arms to deliver an affectionate embrace. Itachi coltishly ruffled his head of spiky hair, his action and eyes speaking of adoration. Breaking apart from the hug, Sasuke spoke.

"Nii-san, welcome back." Itachi nodded, watching Sasuke as though he could not believe how lucky he was to have him as his brother.

"It's good to see you again, Sasuke." Sakura could only gape at the impossible scene unfolding before her. After they got into the suspiciously familiar convertible by the road-side and drove off, Sakura felt that her knees would buckle under the sudden weight, finally comprehending the situation.

"Figures, he wasn't waving at us after all," the deflated girls concluded as they walked past an equally deflated Sakura.

* * *

_I couldn't believe it; I just saw Kanae Itachi in front of my school…_

"Sakura-san, you back early," Itachi said as he stepped out of her room, waiting on expectantly for her explanation as she mindlessly entered the apartment.

_Sasuke-kun ignored me and did not even say good bye to me… The saying 'Bros over hos' rings true huh? And I'm not even his whore!_

"Sakura-san?" Itachi felt something was amiss; not only did she skipped her usual 'I'm home' announcements, she also neglected to shut the front door after moving through it.

_I still can't believe Kanae Itachi came to my school! Wasn't he supposed to be back next Monday?_

"Sakura." Sakura's unfocused gaze found Itachi's face in proximity to hers, eyes filled with worriment, one hand gripping her left arm in concern. The area of skin to skin contact, combined with the intensity of his eye contact, was setting her insides on fire, and she was instantly pulled back from her jumble of thoughts. She stood stiff as a rod, cheeks flushed and smiled skittishly to a frowning Itachi. His earlier call rang clearly in her mind. _D-Did he just call me without honorifics?_

"S-sorry Itachi-san, I was thinking about something else. H-Here! I've bought your favourite dango, let us tuck in!" Skipping past Itachi she proceeded to the kitchen to set up for lunch. Itachi figured something was bothering her, but decided to remain mum out of respect for her privacy.

Today's lunch was especially quiet, with both parties deep in thoughts – Sakura still bewildered by her accidental idol sighting while Itachi mulled over Konoha's altered history records. He casted a contemplative look at Sakura. Suddenly, Sakura looked up, lit up by her revelation.

"No wonder he's so happy! And I can see why…" Sakura trailed off, picturing Sasuke and Kanae Itachi's hugging moment, and mentally slapping herself for not recognising Itachi. It was the first time she had seen him off duty, dressed so causally, and up-close! Even though he looked elated to see Sasuke, there was no escaping the tired eyes that were screaming for him to cut back on his tours. _For the sake of his fans, FOR US, he was willing to go that far despite his overworked body…_

"Sakura-san, can I ask you a question?" At the serious tone, Sakura pushed her idol's image away, and focused on the other Itachi in front of her. Other than the colour of the top, Sakura observed, Uchiha Itachi was a splitting image of Kanae Itachi behind the scenes. Heck, if he were to slip off the spectacles and slip on those body flattering shirts, skin tight jeans and killer leather boots…

"Y-yes Itachi-san?" So much for pushing Kanae Itachi out of her thoughts – with his replicate living under the same roof as her _and_ sitting in front of her, it was like giving a kid a ten dollar note to buy a candy, and reminding him not to spend more than a dollar. We all know how that turned out.

"Where did you come across the story of the Uchiha massacre?" Sakura blinked confusingly at the abrupt question.

"Itachi-san, that's so random! Well, I heard about it from my History sensei. He said he came across this story from the archive of Konoha," Sakura explained, befuddled by his sudden interest.

"Do you know where is this 'archive of Konoha' located?" Itachi enquired in a low voice, the earlier hints of warmth and friendliness now replaced with austerity.

"Y-yes…? It's situated at Kizuna University's library… But it has restricted access – other than the Principal, History and Philosophy teachers, no one has ever been in that place. Not even the librarian, I heard."

"What about the History and Philosophy students?"

"Though it is unheard of, but it was said that a student once accompanied a teacher to organise the documents in that hidden room… Why are you asking these, Itachi-san? Did you find out something?" Chatting and having a regular meal like this with Itachi every day, it was easy to ignore the fact that he came from another world, and was desperately finding ways to return home. After all, he had no identity here, no family and friends, unless he counted her as one, which she doubted.

"There's something I need to check…" He replied ambiguously before continuing, "Sakura-san, is there any chance that I can enrol in the University? Itachi asked, conveniently shoving her theory of him desperately finding ways to return home back in her face. The next thing she knew he would be requesting for his own car.

"You want what? But that's…" Sakura mulled over his sudden request, still trying to adjust to the abruptness of the situation. _Itachi? Studying in a Uni? Why…?_

"Is that not possible?" Itachi enquired politely.

She began wondering, but could not come up with any reason as to why _not_. In fact, it would be beneficial for Itachi, seeing that this might developed into something beyond a staycation. Rather than being coped up in her small space every day, it would be healthier for him to engage in something intellectually stimulating and _live an actual life_. Satisfied with her justification, next came the troublesome issues – administration and money.

With her frugal lifestyle and part-time job, she was able to fulfil her stomach and afforded school fees. With Itachi's appearance in her life, she had to scrap the unnecessary indulgences (meaning no more dining out with the ladies and Naruto at those fancy cafes and shopping trips) and increase her working hours to pay for both of their meals. She was not desperate enough to resort to using his archaic notes, not yet.

If Itachi was intent on the enrolment, then the only solution was scholarship.

The problem to that was, where could she possibly find him a scholarship, which was legitimate and applicable to someone who came from the past, whose area of specialise was fighting and assassination?

Smiling tightly and summoning as much confidence as she could feign, she replied enthusiastically, "Sure, Itachi-san, why _not_?" For the first time, Sakura noticed that some of the darkness surrounding Itachi lifted, and he offered her an almost none existent smile.

"Thank you, Sakura-san." Oh, the things that she would do for those sweet words.

* * *

"Itachi-san, do you mind setting the fan to non-oscillate?" Without hearing a response, she was soon embraced by a constant flow of wind, and felt herself cooling rapidly. Sakura was not sure about Itachi, but she was sweating buckets on her desk. Her textbook on central venous catheter was filled with streaks of her highlighter and blotches of sweat, which she hoped Itachi did not see.

Sakura stretched her hand above her head like a lazy cat, while stealing a glimpse at whatever was capturing Itachi's undivided attention. Intrigued, she leaned towards Itachi.

"Wheels of Life: A User's Guide to the Chakra System? Itachi-san, I didn't pin you for the type to do yoga," Sakura began with humour. Could that be the key to his slender figure?

"What's that?" Itachi asked. Sakura faltered and felt silly; like ninjas needed _yoga _to kill efficiently. Hit by an image of Itachi entangled in his limps and legs, seated on a yoga mat with a room of spinsters; it was taking all of her willpower to maintain a straight face.

"It's a type of mind and body exercise… But never mind that; what's this 'chakra' thing anyway?" Sakura recalled seeing the word on one of Ino's yoga brochures during her brief obsession with searching for her inner "om," but she doubted that they shared similar objective. Itachi looked up from the book and looked straight at her, eyes brimming with seriousness. Sakura gulped involuntarily. It was definitely not about the "om."

"Remember I told you about this 'inner energy?' It seems that the ability to manifest it have been lost along the years; I'm reading up to find out the reason why," Itachi explained as a matter-of-factly. Needless to say, Sakura blanked out. Seeing the need for elaboration, he continued on patiently.

"Everyone has two types of energy within us – the body energy inherent in our countless cells, and the spiritual energy which we gained from training and experience. I believe that due to the lack of training before adolescence, it hindered the cultivation of spiritual energy, which explains why the people here could not manipulate chakra." Sakura nodded in understanding, amazed by his explanation of the hidden potential of a human's body.

"And the modern day concept of chakra seems to have shifted to focus on inner peace cultivation…" Itachi carried on his reading in fascination. This was the first time she had seen Itachi so focused on something, and thought that it was rather cute. She realised would not mind having a nerd as her boyfriend, who wouldn't if the nerd was as hot as Itachi, and together they could geek out in the world of literary- She quickly stopped herself from thinking beyond that.

_What was I thinking? I don't like him that way, and I can't! How can I betray Sasuke-kun like this! But the way his eyebrows rose when he read something interesting, the gentle yet swift way he is flipping the pages… And is that a smile on his face?!_

Slamming her dried book shut (all the sweat stains had already evaporated), she needed to quell the ranging storm in her head, and popped the first question that came to her mind.

"Ne Itachi-san, do you swim?"

Under normal circumstances, Sakura would have never invite a guy to a half-naked recreational activity, much less someone she was acquainted with for last than a week. However, today was an exception – not just to suppress her stray thoughts about Uchiha Itachi, she could no longer stand the humidity of the sweltering weather, and desperate situation called for desperate measures!

"I do… Are you suggesting…?" Itachi prompted, equally taken aback by her random question.

"Do you want to? It's okay if you want to, I don't know, continue _reading_ that thick book of yours in this stuffy room of mine… I wouldn't want to, make you feel _obliged _or anything…" Sakura continued, and half of her was seriously worried that he would opt to stay at home instead of taking up her suggestion. Reading seemed like _his thing_. Itachi watched her uncertainly.

"You can use my Dad's trunks; they're brand new," Sakura implored, ready to kneel down if she had to. She saw his mouth twitched, but she was unsure whether it was from amusement or annoyance.

"That's not the issue here. Wouldn't public pool usually be crowded…?" If Itachi were to be honest, he definitely favoured a peaceful and undisturbed afternoon well-spent with a book as opposed to being squeezed the daylights out of him among a sea of bodies under the dreaded sun. With the weather, it would be a surprise if they could even get in the pool.

"Oh! Don't worry, we aren't going to the swimming pool, you'll see." Sakura remarked mysteriously. Seeing Sakura all motivated and smiling from ear to ear, it became even harder to reject her kind offer, and Itachi, being the gentleman, agreed. Clapping in contentment at his response, she headed over to her wardrobe to dig out a pair of modest navy blue trunks and flung it at him. He suavely caught it single-handed.

"Great! See you at the entrance in ten!"

* * *

The entrance to Yonder Forest was partially obscured by the wild creepers interloping across two pillars of trees framing the pathway. It was conveniently located next to Haruna Residence, and due to the area being a private residential zone, it was one of the least frequented entrance to the forest behind her apartment. Stopping in front of the path, Sakura placed her hands by her hips and directed a challenging eye at Itachi.

"You scared?" Watching her childish and arrogant demeanour, he clicked his tongue in amusement.

"You sure you should be asking me that, Sakura-san?" Itachi fired back. By now, Sakura was smart enough to know that in a match of aggravation, Itachi would be the last person to fall for any sort of provocation. She really appreciated his attempt to humour her.

"Are you underestimating me just because I can't use my _chakra_? I'll show you what modern girls are made of, Itachi-san," Sakura countered and entered the forest without waiting for Itachi.

"Hn, I'm waiting, Sakura-san."

Surrounded by the dense greenery while ambling on a track free of the din of traffic, Itachi welcomed the rich sense of nostalgia that tugged at his heart with every step along the dry, hard earth. The refreshing scent of mild dew and woods, the shivering of the leaves as the occasional wind breezed past them combined with faint buzzing of the insects – it was as though he was back at his Konoha. With the redundancy for urgency and secrecy, he was overcome with the urge to hop onto one of the emergent to get a bird's eye view of Konoha, just because he could.

Sakura made a sudden veer to the right, and Itachi followed wordlessly. They had to burrow their way through overgrown shrubs while trekking along a narrow path that would not be visible unless one was intentionally looking for it. Instead of climbing uphill, this artificial trail was leading them down and further away from the designated track. Sakura appeared to be concentrating on something ahead of them. Stopping in her track, she turned around and faced Itachi.

"Itachi-san, do you hear it?" Without straining his ears, he could already make out the mellifluous sound of flowing water. They finally arrived at a small clearing beside a two meter wide stream bank. A beam of sunlight hit the surface of the pellucid water, creating a sparkle that gave the place an enchanting quality. Opposite the shore lay a thick belt of jungle, creating an orchestra of green backdrop that seemed to stretch on endlessly. They stood alongside by the bank, soaking in the beauty of nature without human intervention.

"How did you come across this beautiful stream?"

"It was by chance; once I accidently flung my phone into the shrubs and as I was searching for it, I found this," gliding her arm across the landscape.

Depositing her tote under an ancient oak tree, she began peeling off her clothes under the comforting shade of its crown, leaving her exposed in a black halter one-piece swimsuit. Itachi saw and took the cue to shred off his loose tee and berms, and that was when Sakura was not as captivated by the nature as before.

Flexing his unused muscles, he began to busy himself with warm up exercises. Sakura coerced herself to focus on the grandeur of the scenery – just look at that surface water, don't the sparkles resembled diamonds, twinkling and teasing you to join them? _Oh, who am I kidding? The masculine beauty beside me easily beat this landscape!_

At the pretence of mimicking his moves, Sakura was able to catch a glimpse of his defined arms and legs, and the satisfying subtle lines of his six packs, not eye-catchy yet definitely there, like the owner. She also spied a few faint slash scars along his otherwise smooth back, the definite mark of his bravery and treacherous days as a ninja.

"Sakura-san, is anything the matter?" Itachi asked, breaking the peaceful silence. _Yek! He caught me! This is so embarrassing…_

"I-I am just wondering do you need some sun block," Sakura answered without missing a beat. When he did not object, she rummaged through her bag, and asked the unthinkable.

"Do you want me to apply for you?" while motioning to her back. Itachi's eyes widened a fraction, affirming Sakura that her boldness was a wrong move. _Is this how you should behave around your idol's lookalike?!_

"…Alright." Upon agreeing to her audacious request, he sashayed towards her and promptly sat on the cool turf. Sakura stared down with the bottle in hand, dumbfounded.

"The water's evaporating, Sakura-san." Itachi prompted.

"Ah, yes… It is going to feel slightly cooling," Sakura forewarned, as she kneed down and began applying the sun block generously on his pale back. She was trying to suppress the notion that she was _feeling him up_, as opposed to doing him a favour. His back felt as solid as she imagined, and as her hands skimmed over the scars, she pondered upon the story of each wound.

"Do they hurt?" Sakura enquired softly.

"When they were raw and fresh, but not anymore. Being able to use chakra suddenly doesn't seem so fun, don't you think?" Itachi remarked, thinking about all those who perished under his blood-stained hands.

"I wouldn't bet on it…" She remembered the kid from Itach's flashback, waving the sharp blade carelessly with the danger of cutting himself. And the worse - that kid seemed to be _having fun_. His era's idea of fun was comparably different from her era, but she was not going to argue about it. After all, he was still well and alive, right? Clapping assuredly on his protected back, she hastily slatted on some over her body and dragged him to the edge.

"Sakura-san, I was kidding when I said the water will evaporate…" Itachi teased, as though Sakura took his word for real. He caught a soft sigh as she stopped pulling him.

"Mou, will you quit with the 'san,' Itachi-san? Since we are staying together I don't think there's a need for such formalities, and you are older than me! It makes me feel embarrassed…" She was taken aback by her brazen behaviour, but they were also half-naked, and she had touched him (with a valid reason); compared to the former this request was child's play, she reasoned.

Secretly, Sakura was also hoping that this could break down the barrier between them, so that maybe they could be friends…? Somehow, it felt too big of a wish.

"Alright, then you shall address me by my name too, Sakura," Itachi demanded while crossing his arms, already getting the hang of calling by her first name. She was not prepared for him to agree without even putting up a fight! Sometimes, she could not help but felt like she was bullying him into submission; either that or he was simply too good of a person.

"If's that what you want, I-Itachi…" She felt weird to address him so causally. To ease her inner awkwardness, she began chanting his name in her mind. _Itachi, Itachi, hi Itachi! So glad to see you, Itachi! What do want for dinner, Itachi? Good night, Itachi… _She found herself slightly turned on by the last notion. She caught his inquisitive eyes on hers, and in an attempt to diffuse the uncomfortable situation, she tried to distract him.

"Look! That looks like the crow from yesterday!" When he turned his head to look at the aforementioned crow, she launched a powerful shove at his back, sending him pouring towards the water. Itachi had only let down his guard for a moment beside Sakura, and the next thing he knew she was overstepping her boundary! He twisted his body to her, his eyes shining with an impish glint at the promise of revenge. Just then, he noticed that she remained paralyzed to her spot on shore, right hand clutching her heart, her face as white as a sheet of paper.

"I-Itachi, are you s-standing on w-water?!" She gasped, pointing a wobbly finger at Itachi. This time it was Itachi who felt like kicking himself mentally, for lowering his guard not once, but _twice _in a row.

"Calm down, Sakura. Remember chakra? We can also channel them to our feet, and it became very much instinctive when it comes to things… Like this…" Shrugging at his feet, he realised that glozing any form of chakra manipulation in this era was as effective as asking Madara to cut his Tsuki no Me crap and go rest in peace.

"W-wow… That's… That's so DAMN COOL ITACHI!" Itachi's head sprung up. The earlier look of apprehension gave way to reverence and wonderment at her male companion in the waters, or more accurately, _on_ the water. Sakura dashed into the stream to join him, and while her body was submerged in the crystal clear water, he remained perfectly dry standing on the water.

"Itachi, you are like Poseidon – The God of water! If you can stand on water that means you can run-! Oh dear I don't think I can look at you the same way as before…" Sakura professed dramatically, one hand shielding her face while the other did an air push at his direction.

"T-This is really no big deal at my era… Every ninja needs to be able to do this or else they are as good as dead." Itachi replied modestly, feeling sheepish. It was no use; Sakura was too distracted to pay attention to anything he was saying. Suddenly, he felt a series of tickles underneath his feet and flinching from the sensation; he momentarily lost his concentration and dropped into the clear water, creating a big splash over Sakura.

Returning onto the surface, he spilt out a mouthful of water and narrowed his eyes at Sakura, who was slapping the water in seventh heaven.

"L-Looks like I just found out your weakness, Itachi! Are you going to kill me now?" Sakura giggled and her eyes widened in mock fear. Itachi appeared to be contemplating her request.

"No… On the contrary, why not _you_ try to kill me?" Itachi proposed. Sakura was taken aback by the turn of their conversation.

"Why would I do that?" She challenged, eyes speaking of interest by the notion.

"Ho, by that response are you implying that you can kill-" With a forceful punch directed at his stomach, Itachi's sentence was cut short by Sakura's surprise attack.

"Sorry if it hurts, Itachi!" _That's what you get for underestimating me, shannaro!_

"Were you saying something, Sakura?" The Itachi who she punched earlier was rapidly dissolving, transforming into a fountain of water which cascaded gently to join with the rest of the water body. She swivelled her body to her back, where the original Itachi was, smirking at her.

"H-How did you do that?" _Damn, he's fast!_

"If I tell you, then I'd have to kill you, Sakura."

* * *

**AHHHHHH, I did not plan for this to happen! But when I brought them to the stream, one scene hit me after another, my imagination started running wild and… Oh well but I am satisfied with their development *smirks* **

**Thank you, dear readers who earnestly followed this story till here. I may be running out of ideas soon so if you guys are kind enough or have any cute suggestions (even dirty ones :)), do comment! If there are scenes or technical aspects which you think I can improve on, do fire, I'll all for improving! Till the next chapter!**


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